# 3 - Flexibility
Here is one definition of product development flexibility: The ability to make changes in the product being developed or in how it is developed, even relatively late in development, without being too disruptive. The later one can make changes, the more flexible the process is. The less disruptive the changes are, the more flexible the process is. Change is fundamental to product innovation, which, after all, is about bringing something new that has not existed before. The more innovative your product, the more likely you are to make changes during its development. Recent studies show that innovation connects strongly with long-term corporate success, and corporate executives regularly list innovation as a top critical success factor. For example, one global survey ranks innovation as the top strategic priority for 40 percent of senior executives and among the top three strategic priorities for 72 percent of these executives (Boston Consulting Group). Nevertheless, research shows that c...