THE ROLES OF STAKEHOLDERS IN AN NPD PROJECT: A CASE STUDY Jukka Majava University of Oulu, Finland jukka.majava@oulu.fi Harri Haapasalo University of Oulu, Finland harri.haapasalo@oulu.fi Abstract: New product development (NPD) is affected by multiple stakeholders. This study assesses the key stakeholders in an NPD project, the roles of the stakeholders, and the project phases stakeholders’ involvement is most important. The literature review of the study focuses on stakeholders in product development, while the empirical part explores industry views at managerial level through a single case study. The results include identification of key stakeholders in an NPD project. Furthermore, these stakeholders’ roles and their involvement in different project phases are analysed. The results highlight the importance of appropriate stakeholder involvement in the project and the need to manage their involvement. The study also demonstrates a need for systematic way of working and good internal co-operation among product management, R&D, and other internal stakeholders. Practicing managers can utilise the findings to improve decision-making, prioritisation, and to reduce unnecessary complexities in NPD projects. Keywords: new product development (NPD), stakeholders, project, product management, research and development (R&D) 199