Structuring product development processes

IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 2022

Determining the proper sequence of interrelated activities in the design of a complex product is an irrefutable challenge for project management. The presence of components with different levels of technology in a complex product can disrupt project planning and cause cost overruns or schedule delays. This article presents a multiobjective model for organizing interrelated activities by taking into account the impact of technological capability and financial aspect of the project with a periodic perspective. First, a multidomain matrix is devised based on design structure matrix and technology readiness level to demonstrate the impact of components technology maturity level. Second, a mathematical model is developed according to rework caused by information dependence (minimizing total feedback value), project financial aspect (minimizing the difference between the budget and project costs), and technology maturity level of components (minimizing technology risk). Finally, a possibilistic programming approach is applied to cope with the uncertainty of input data; in addition, to deal with multiple objective functions, an interactive fuzzy solution approach is implemented. To validate the model and solution approach, a numerical experiment and a case study are conducted. Testing results illustrate the importance of technology maturity level in sequencing activities and indicate that the model can be introduced as a management tool for the financial feasibility study of the project due to the balanced use of budget.

Digital Enterprise Challenges, 2002

Firms are facing very short and important innovation cycles, particularly in IT and Telecommunication sectors. Then a question appears: why do some innovations succeed whereas other fail. From offer's point of view, a way could be to evaluate impacts of a decision to innovate for each of the actors involved in this product trajectory. Therefore the goal of such an approach is reducing high Innovation development risks by integrating the diverse stakes of life cycle actors and by helping design teams to integrate the evolution of some key environmental processes. We introduce in this paper the characteristics of the Innovation Process and Engineering Design Phase for high level innovations. In this framework, we propose an Innovation Valuation Model integrating strategic and tactic impacts in term of value and cost.

Management Science, 2004

OVERVIEW: The use of concurrent engineering (CE) and sequential engineering (SE) for new product development (NPD) was studied in one company over a two-year period. Various performance factors were measured. This paper points out the issues, benefits and barriers involved in adopting CE, and provides a framework for its systematic implementation. The framework is explained in the context of lessons learned.

Successful development projects are critical to success in many industries. To improve project performance managers must understand the dynamic concurrence relationships that constrain the sequencing of tasks as well as the effects of and interactions with resources (such as labor), project scope and targets (such as delivery dates). This paper describes a multiple phase project model which explicitly models process, resources, scope and targets. The model explicitly portrays iteration, four distinct development activities and available work constraints to describe development processes. The model is calibrated to a semiconductor chip development project.

2013

The inherent iterative nature of product design and development poses significant challenge to reduce the product design and development time (PD). In order to shorten the time to market, organizations have adopted concurrent development where multiple specialized tasks and design activities are carried out in parallel. Iterative nature of work coupled with the overlap of activities can result in unpredictable time to completion and significant rework. Many of the products have missed the time to market window due to unanticipated or rather unplanned iteration and rework. The iterative and often overlapped processes introduce greater amounts of ambiguity in design and development, where the traditional methods and tools of project management provide less value. In this context, identifying critical metrics to understand the iteration probability is an open research area where significant contribution can be made given that iteration has been the key driver of cost and schedule risk ...

American Journal of Industrial Engineering, 2014

Due to the increase of the products offered in the market and the reduction of the time of their life, Product Development Process (PDP) is considered a business process that become increasingly important for the competitiveness of companies. Products must be managed in order to quickly enter the market, better meet customer needs, are easier to manufacture, are attractive in the market and ensure a profit for the company. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the main incentives for the development of new products in the food industry are related to the development and incorporation of technological innovation. Nowadays, PDP evolution is mainly due to concerns of industries to improve their economic performance, and at the same time increasing the quality of their products and meets the requirements of consumers. Although there are studies that seek to standardize the development of food products, implementation of PDP models is very new. This paper aims to analyze methods developed by different authors about the PDP oriented to food industry and make a comparison with the general model proposed by Rozenfeld et al. [9]. Among current models are the following: Fuller [5], Rudolph [6], Earle [4], Polignano and Drumond [7] and Penso [8]. These authors state sequences of structured phases that facilitate the understanding and implementation of a new product development in food industry.

R & D Management, 1995

Extensive organizational changes in the management of product development work of industrial companies are currently taking place. Speediness (time-based competition) and/or ‘high’ quality (total quality) are emphasized and for this purpose concepts such as simultaneous, concurrent or integrated product development have been introduced. This paper describes a study of the importance of these concepts in 29 large Swedish manufacturing companies and how these companies deal with the implementation of the new product development concepts. In addition, three in-depth studies have been carried out to enable a more detailed study to be made of the effects of the product development work on time and quality variables.

Smart Product Engineering: Lecture Notes in Production Engineering, 2013

Process modeling is a set of activities to be followed to create one or more models of a process for a certain purpose. Some modeling methods are more suitable for a given purpose than others, an essential fact to remember when choosing a modeling method. Some literature reviews about product development process modeling and their purposes are available on the literature; however, none of them intend to deplete the subject. Therefore, this research aims to provide a state of the art about product development process modeling methods and propose a detailed and comprehensive classification of them based on their purposes. To this end, a systematic literature review is conducted, followed by the elaboration of a matrix that relates modeling methods to their purposes. The resulting matrix can serve as a starting point for the elaboration of a framework for modeling method selection.

R and D Management, 2001

This paper focuses on how process modelling and analysis using`light weight' technology 1 supported by focused group discussions and workshops can improve the`concurrence' and integration within the New Product Development process. This enables managers to improve the management of product design and development through a better understanding of the issues. The paper argues that the traditional changes in human resource management via introduction of multifunctionalacollocated teams required by Concurrent New Product Development (CNPD) can be complemented by the introduction of process management, focused on the modelling and analysis of the`softer' organisational issues. A case study of a domestic appliance manufacturer, developing a new product using a collocated product development team, is described to verify the research. The paper concludes by discussing the issues that emerge from this type of approach to performance improvement in NPD management, such as involvement of all team functions, senior management commitment, standardisation of processes, and training in the process management concept including modelling and analysis techniques. The approach proposed allows one to make both tangible benefits, in terms of cost, delivery (lead times) and quality, and intangible benefits, in terms of communication, people empowerment, motivation, and collaboration.

European Journal of Operational Research, 2008

Intense competition in many industries impels firms to develop more products in less time. Overlapping of development activities is regarded as one of the most promising strategies to reduce project cycle time. However, the gain from overlapping must be weighed against the additional resource and time for rework. This paper presents a new product development (NPD) process model, termed Dynamic Development Process Model (DDPM), for managing overlapped iterative product development. We validated the model with data from a mobile phone development project. The DDPM was employed to identify appropriate policies for the overlapped iterative projects in the case study company. These identified policies were implemented in the company and led to marked improvement in project performance, thus demonstrating the viability of our model.