Business Plan Resource Support

Section VI: Design and Development Plan (also called R & D)

The nature and extent of any design and development work, and the time and money required before the product or service is marketable, need to be considered in detail. (Note that design and development costs are often underestimated.) Design and development might be the engineering work necessary to convert a laboratory prototype to a finished product; the design of special tooling; the work of an industrial designer to make a product more attractive and saleable; or the identification and organization of employees, equipment, and special techniques, such as the equipment, new computer software, and skills required for computerized credit checking, to implement a service business (Nuts & Bolts of Great Business Plans).

Databases id="databases"

Search the University of Florida Business Library databases for magazine and newspapers articles on design and development of your product or service. A basic search strategy might include: Product introduction and Product design; Product introduction and Product development; or Product development and Product design along with your particular concept term. Pay close attention to the suggested terms or subject terms as they may guide you closer to what you are looking for. These articles may give you some insight as you prepare this section:

Intellectual Property: Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights id="intellectual-property"

  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office – Administers U.S. laws relating to patents and trademarks. Issues U.S. patents, registers U.S. trademarks, and disseminates both patent and trademark information. Website offers search capability for U.S. patents and trademarks. Patents must be searched by U.S. Classifications. Contact the OSU Patent and Trademark Library for assistance (405) 744-6546.
  • U.S. Copyright Office – Branch of the Library of Congress that offers protection for the works of authors when guidelines are met. Works maybe be registered online. Site includes key publications including informational circulars, application forms for copyright registration, links to the copyright law and to the homepages of other copyright-related organizations, link to online copyright records cataloged since 1978, Congressional testimony and press releases, latest regulations; etc.
  • European Patent Office – Search U.S., EP, Japanese, and Worldwide (WO) patent documents – English, French, and German language support. Coverage varies by country.
  • InventNet – Network for inventors that provide practical information regarding patenting and a question and answer forum.
  • Patent Librarian’s Notebook – Blog of Michael White, Librarian for Research Services at the Engineering and Science Library, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. Posts include updates of interest in the patent community.

Journals id="journals"

The following academic journals publish articles that deal specifically with product design and development: