Improving performance evaluation metrics to manage innovative projects

As with any process, innovation requires control and evaluation operations in order to improve management practices. This research focuses on the concept of evaluation concerning innovation project management (from idea to launch). Indeed, literature attests to numerous productions in the field of project management and there are many software packages available. A performance benchmark conducted on the most successful software confirms that the project manager has few elements in relation to the characteristics of innovation, including: newness, uncertainty and learning. Consequently, this research fills the gap in the field of project reporting and evaluation of innovation. The research results are a list of variables to be followed by innovators throughout a project (in particular during the fuzzy front end). Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.