This book offers a logically structured compilation of methods that cover important and current aspects of the early phase of the innovation process. They cover the entire range from market-pull/customer-oriented to technology-push-based approaches in both manufacturing and service-oriented companies. If companies make better decisions in the fuzzy front end of innovation, this has positive effects on the entire innovation process. On the one hand, superfluous evaluations and the development of prototypes, for example, can be saved, and on the other hand, greater customer benefit can be created with the help of unerring innovations. In this publication, specialists and managers from the fields of corporate development, R&D, product management and marketing impart specialist knowledge and experience to the reader.