Fuzzy Front End

The Fuzzy Front End (FFE) is the messy beginning period of product development, when the product idea is still very vague. It precedes the more formal new product development process and generally consists of three tasks: strategic planning, concept generation and concept evaluation. These activities are often chaotic, unpredictable, and unstructured. In comparison, the subsequent new product development process is typically structured and predictable, with prescribed sets of activities, deliverables and decisions to be made.