I think much better business content or business guidance is a need for a revamped IDSA or a new org. This outline represents a lot of the kind of content (by no means comprehensive) that always seems lacking, yet essential. This is an example of the kind of business content I think many designers could benefit from, especially coming out of school. Does this information exist? Sure, in 60 different places, and only if you know to look. If IDSA or other could consolidate this info in a concise and easy to follow way, it would be great.
I. Good business content
a. Legal aspects of business
i. Contracts
ii. Patents
iii. IP and confidentiality
iv. Applicable Tax law
v. Labor law
vi. Liability
vii. Risk management practices
b. Common development practices
i. Consumer
- Six sigma
- QFD/TQM
- Stage Gates
- Etc
ii. Medical - FDA and ISO and impact on design practices
- How to talk to doctors about design
- Etc
c. Working with different kinds of organizations at different levels
i. Publicly held
ii. Privately held
iii. Nonprofits
iv. Inventor/startups
v. As a client versus inhouse
d. Consulting basics
i. What needs to be in a design brief
ii. What needs to be in a proposal
iii. How to build project budgets