List the stages of the product development process from brief to evaluation.

• A. Brief, specification, concept generation, design development, prototype/testing, manufacturing planning, evaluation.
• B. Brief, concept generation, specification, design development, manufacturing planning, prototype/testing, evaluation.
• C. Specification, brief, concept generation, prototype/testing, design development, manufacturing planning, evaluation.
• D. Brief, specification, design development, concept generation, prototype/testing, evaluation, manufacturing planning.

Answer: (A)

The stages flow from defining the need to delivering and judging the result. Start with the brief to establish what the problem is and what the product must achieve. Then the specification translates that brief into measurable requirements that the design must meet. Next comes concept generation, where a range of ideas is explored to satisfy those requirements. After selecting a promising concept, design development refines it into a workable solution with enough detail to proceed. Prototype/testing follows to build and trial a version of the product, so you can check performance and identify any issues. Manufacturing planning then works out how the product will be produced at scale, including processes, resources, and timelines. Finally, evaluation assesses whether the final product meets the original aims and gathers insights for future improvements.