Product Life Cycle Methodologies [lifecycle, life-cycle]

Product Life Cycle and Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) concepts sustain new product development (NPD). The goal of PLM is to maximize the profits obtainable from the product over its life cycle.
From the perspective of a current new product development effort, launch success has secondary impacts. These include:

• After a successful launch, development resources are released and they are available for another project
• Profits from a successful launch help fund future development and operational expenses
• A post-launch analysis is used to refine the plans for the next versions of your product 

http://www.oplaunch.com/life_cycle.htm