New product development is imperative in the South African manufacturing sector to exploit the competitive advantage of new products within the local and global markets. The research and development division of a South African state-owned enterprise has experienced considerable challenges to commercialise its’ new products. This study investigated the relationship between new product development best practices and those at the company’s research and development unit. The purpose was to distinguish the level of best practices implemented by the company in new product development, identify the critical success and failure factors and the process gaps, and recommend a suitable NPD model. The significance of the study is the evaluation of research and development projects within the company portfolio that are not explicitly captured by the current industry. The benefits of successfully achieving the research objectives will improve new product development performance and add to the theoretical foundation, especially in the African market. The benefits are not only academic but will yield product success and marginal profits when implemented in the respective company.