Checklist for making and selling a product

Checklist of things to consider when making/selling a product:

Marketing

• Market analysis of pricing and competitive space
  
• Website
• Print and pdf brochures
  
• Print or Broadcast Advertising
• Search Engine Optimization / Online Ads

Sales and Fulfillment

• Customer service via website and telephone.
  
• E-Commerce platform / payment acceptor (credit card, paypal)
  
• Packaging and Shipping

Support

• Product documentation - Installation manual, operation manual / user guide.
• Customer support via website and telephone.
  

Branding

• Brand Style guide
• Design language
• Brand name, logo, tagline

Product Design

• Software
• Electronics - Hardware, firmware
• Mechanical
• Industrial design
• Design documentation - manufacturing documentation, field support documentation. Part number and revision tracking.

Supply Chain

• Manufacturing capacity (lead time, throughput)
  
• Logistics (for production and fulfillment)

Regulatory / Compliance / Standards

• EMC (FCC, CISPR/CE, +much more!)
  
• Safety (UL, CE, +much more!)
• Environmental regulation (WEEE, E-waste fees, RoHS)
  
• Any other applicable industry standards

"Cultural" Factors

• Local regulation (with possible requirement for local representation for market or regulatory reasons)
  
• Language issues

IP

• Are there existing IP conflicts?
• Can you generate new IP that are defensible?
  
• Can you license the IP instead of making/selling the item?
  

Design firms

I'm using this post to collect design firms... This is just a list. I have no experience/endorsements/etc.

http://www.designcatapult.com/ - Offers a "$5,001" "mind jog" service.



Motorola has their own rapid prototyping service now! http://www.1prototype.com/index.html

RoHS and WEEE

The EU rules on RohS/WEEE are 2002/95/EC and 2002/96/EC:

The RoHD directive (http://www.rohs.eu/english/legislation/docs/launchers/launch-2002-95-EC.html) prescribes the elimination of various hazardous substances. The specific limits does not appear in this document. Instead, 2005/618/EC (http://www.rohs.eu/english/legislation/docs/launchers/launch-2005-618-EC.html) amends 2002/95/EC and prescribes the limits:

‘For the purposes of Article 5(1)(a), a maximum concentration
value of 0,1 % by weight in homogeneous
materials for lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated
biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl
ethers (PBDE) and of 0,01 % by weight in homogeneous
materials for cadmium shall be tolerated.’

(0.1% = 1,000 ppm. 0.01% = 100ppm)

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive (http://www.rohs.eu/english/legislation/docs/launchers/launch-2002-96-EC.html) prescribes actions to reduce the entry of EEE's into waste-streams with directives for design for easy recovery of materials, and setting up collection programs for spent devices.