Technology Development

Week 1

The Technology Development

Process
The Stages of planning & conducting the
step-by-step procedures used to
- invent, create, explore,
- innovate, develop,
- integrate, evaluate & transfer
...technology into product or mfg.
process commercialization

Developing Technology in a
Concurrent Engineering Context

Use of Multi-functional Teams

Use of Structured Phases & Gates
Use of Integrated Business Management
Use of the principles of Total Quality Mgt.
Use of the principles of Project Mgt.
Use of the principles of System Engineering
Use of modern Best Practices
Concurrent development of product technology
& supporting mfg. process technology

Developing Platforms within the

Technology Development Process
The Technology development process is the
proper place to develop Platforms
A Platform is a system of integrated technologies
that can be used to develop a family of products
A Platform should consist of robust & tunable
technologies
Platforms are developed to perform over a range
of functional application based on a well defined
dynamic input-output relationship

Goals for Technology Development

Speed up tech. development cycle time

Control tech. development costs
Develop quality into the technology
Develop superiority into the technology
Reduce technological vulnerability
Insure the safe transfer of technology from
development to product commercialization

Linking Technology Dev. to a

Business Strategy & Product Plan
Strategic Integration of Business &
Technology Planning:
- The Technology Roadmap
A Technology Roadmap is a documented forecast
of customer needs, industry & technology trends
and visionary insight that characterizes the
future technology needs of the business

The Technology Roadmap

Where is industry headed?
Where is current patent activity headed?
What are the customers projecting as future
needs?
Where is the manufacturing process technology
that we depend upon to make our products
headed?
What are the future business dynamics that our
technology will have to support?

The Technology Roadmap

What are the sources of variability in the
business environments in which we choose
to participate?
- Historical trends of variation
- Current trends of variation
- Future trends of variation
If we understand these sources of variation, we
can plan & develop flexible technologies that can
be tuned to react to business changes!

Technology Roadmaps
Motorola has published how they define &
deploy Technology Road Maps
There are 2 types of Road Maps
- Emerging Technology Road Maps
- Product Technology Road Maps

Emerging Technology
Road Maps
Technology that is considered new & not yet
commercialized
This technology exists in a lab somewhere
Its commercial application is 3-8 years away
Prepared & up dated by a small committee of
technical experts
Used to evaluate internal capabilities, comparison
with competitors present & future capabilities &
to forecast the progression of the technologies.

Product Technology Road Maps

These Maps focus on specific Product Enabling
Technologies that currently exist
A compilation of information that provides a
comprehensive description of a Product Line
- past, present & future
Used to encourage the use of structured tools &
best practices in the process of Planning,
Managing & Developing complex systems of
integrated technologies.

Product Technology Road Maps

Used to provide a rational basis & structure
for reviewing current product
commercialization activities
- Product Commercialization includes the
development, design, manufacture &
distribution of a new product

Uses historic data to predict future product

requirements & priorities

Results from a Product

Technology Road Map
A Clear-cut, strategic Product Plan
- documented, tracked & updated
based on the evolution of technologies
& markets in which you are participating
A working document that provides useful
information for product portfolio balance
within the short & long term operation of a
business unit

Product Technology Road Maps

at Motorola have 8 Sections

1. Description of the Business

2. A Technology Forecast to Focus R&D
3. A Technology Road Map Matrix
4. Quality
5. Allocation of Technology Dev. Resources
6. Patent Portfolio
7. Product Descriptions, Status Reports &
Summary Charts
8. Minority Reports

1. Description of the Business

The Business Mission

The Business Strategies
Business Market Share
Sales History & Sales Forecasts
Product Life Cycle Curves (trends)
Product Plans

Experience Curve: a technique for using historical cost & price

data with a marketing prediction of future volume to estimate future
costs & prices

Knowledge of Competition

2. Technology Forecast to
Focus R&D Investments
Technology forecasts are constructed from
patent literature, published research papers,
patent disclosures, public forums &
seminars, competitive technology
assessments, etc. etc.
Forecasts are documented through the
creation of Technology Trend Charts
Documents feasible technological activities
(...but obviously not inventive surprises!!!)

3. Technology Road Map Matrix

A summary matrix relating Product Plans
against the Technology Forecast
- summarizes technological requirements
for future products in a context of current
product directions & technology timing

4. Quality
An evaluation of the impact new technologies will
have on the businesses quality goals...
- e.g. robustness, reliability, functional capability
(Cp & Cpk), service & maintainability

The Focus is on developing quality into the new

technology in support of cost, quality & cycletime goals of new product families.
(...including their their supporting material
requirements & manufacturing processes)

5. Allocation of Technology
Development Resources
Structured & Disciplined Planning for technology
development - just as one does for product
development & mfg./production
Use of Project Management Best Practices
- work breakdown structures & flow
- critical path identification & management
- projectized organizational structures
- Integrated Project Plans across the org.

Coordination of people with a business plan for

balancing technology growth through the proper
deployment & mgt. of technological resources

6. Patent Portfolio
Develop patentable technology that is highly
produceable/manufacturable
(avoid design for patentability)
Primary focus: creating revenue bearing patents
Secondary focus: creating patents that are licensed
or traded
List of Patent Disclosures
Competitive assessment of patent activities in your
strategic areas

7. Product Descriptions,
Summary Reports & Charts
Produced for each product in your portfolio
- in an updateable format
Contents:
- project name
- project manager
- project objective
- key personnel
- actual vs. planned budget
- actual vs. planned staffing
- product idea document

8. Minority Reports
Provision for the creation of a minority
point of view that can provide
management awareness of a valuable
product or process technology that is worth
investigating.
Help for technology ideas that fell through
the cracks or lack an articulate advocate or
champion.

Business Dynamics &

Dynamic Technology
Products & manufacturing processes are
sensitive to numerous sources of
variation
- External

- Unit-to-Unit

- Deterioration

Businesses are subject to similar sources of

variation
- we refer to these as noise factors

Business Noise Factors

Business conditions change at varying rates over
time which may require the acceleration or
deceleration of technology development
Business trends force changes in the nature of the
market segment your technology has the capability
to support
Business noise has to be met with technology that
has the built-in capacity to rapidly adapt to
changing market conditions

Business Noise Factors

External Business Noise: competition, fluctuating
currency exchange rates, economic down turns, political or
social turmoil...

Unit-to-Unit Business Noise: Internal Cost control

problems, inconsistent performance, policies &
communication between departments, units, groups and
individuals; political behavior... (marketing vs. engineering!)

Deterioration Business Noise: aging technology,

high turn-over of talent, aging capital equipment & poorly
trained human resources, outdated business processes...

The Link to Dynamic Technology

Technology that is capable of helping a
business become insensitive to business
noise factors.
- Robust & Tunable Technology
- Integrated Technologies: Platforms

Concept Design in Technology

Development
Creativity & Technology Development
The Development of New Technology to
Produce New Concepts
Re-Developing Existing Technology into
New Concepts (innovation)
Forming Concepts from Direct Re-Use of
Existing Technology (leveraging)

The VOC in Technology Concepting

Disciplined communication between
Marketing, Planning, Mfg. and the
Technology Development Organizations
Knowing your customer - get out there!
Gather & Understand the VOC in Teams
Marketing must understand your technical
capability & limitations (no illusions!)

Creativity vs. Productivity

in Concept Design
Deployment of Technology Roadmaps &
the VOC
Invention vs. Innovation
Inherent/Generic Robustness
Tuneability by Design (Dynamic Tech.)
Platformability
Product Families
Re-Usability

Deployment of Technology
Roadmaps & the VOC
Taking disciplined action based on the Road Map
Data - technology plans come after & are
dependent on product family plans
Recognition that business strategies, customer
needs & technology development must be
integrated
Technology development process has deliverables
that are able to be assessed wrt business &
customer requirements (giving R&D a Context!!!)

Invention vs. Innovation

Invention: basic phenomenological
discovery, creation of new functions,
materials, devices or processes through
study & experimentation (basic research)
Innovation: beginning or introducing
something new through rejuvenation,
refurbishment or reuse of existing
technology (applied research)
(may include buying existing technology)

Inherent/Generic Robustness
of Technology
Inherent Robustness: technologies (parameters
& functions) that are by their nature insensitive to
sources of variability that are associated with their
commercialization environment (mfg. & use)
Conceptual Robustness: technology concepts
that possess either inherent robustness or a
capacity to be made robust with relative ease (e.g.
additive physics & measurable fundamental
functions)

Inherent/Generic Robustness
of Technology
Generic Noise Factors: General sources of
variability that stimulate variation within the
functional responses (dependent variables)
associated with a set of candidate technological
building blocks (independent control parameters)
- general implies the type of noises that exist
across the mfg., supply chain & customer use
environments for the entire family of products the
technology is intended to serve

Inherent/Generic Robustness
of Technology
Technology Subsystem Robustness: an aggregation of
technological building blocks (controllable parameters)
that possess set points that leave the measured function of
the subsystem minimally sensitive to a generic set of noise
factors
Technology System Robustness: a system of integrated,
robust subsystem technologies that has been balanced
across subsystem functions in the presence of system level
noise factors
This system is commonly called a Platform - if it can be
used to support the commercialization of a family of
products

Tuneability by Design
Dynamic Technology is either a subsystem or
system that is capable of being adjusted or tuned
to new application functions in the continuum of
planned product family requirements
Dynamic Technology is designed to be adjustable
Dynamic Technology is based on stable, well
documented physical principles that describe a
function that is active over a stable continuum that
is traceable to the VOC & the Technology Road
map

Static vs. Dynamic Technology

Leveraging or re-using existing technology is
often a static application with a single product
target function with a focus on developing
robustness around that specific target.
Re-working/adapting existing technology can
focus on the creation of a dynamic multi-product
function with a focus on both robustness &
tuneability
New technology development should always be
treated as a dynamic application (Platform)

Static Technology
The term Static refers to technology that has been
developed to hit a specific target value
- little thought given to future tuning or adjusting
requirements (poor family planning)
- experimentation is temporally structured to
hit a target&, if time permits, focus is shifted on
reducing variability about that specific target
- classic research mentality where technological work is
linked to patents - not Platforms or Product Families

Dynamic Technology
The term Dynamic refers to technology that has
been developed to hit a range of target values
- significant thought is dedicated to the creation of future
adjustability to meet family product plans
- experimentation is temporally structured to
generate a tunable function& to simultaneously focus
on reducing variability about a range of targets
- modern research mentality where technological work is
linked to patentable technology that yields Platforms &
rapidly commercializable Product Families

Platformability
Platforms allow a business to plan
efficiently for short & long term product
line strategies
Platforms are built on dynamic technology
that is matched to the nature of the Business
Dynamics (noises) & VOC requirements
that are inherent in the market segments
targeted by the Product Family Plan

Product Families
Families of products allow businesses to capture
revenues efficiently within the market segments
they choose to serve
Efficiency comes from re-use of robust & tunable
technologies as the product line is systematically
commercialized over time
Commercialization Cycle-time is greatly reduced
when technology does not have to be re-developed
every time a new product is developed
(much preferred over parallel tech./prod. dev. paths)

Subsequent Concept Design

in Product Development

Product Families are Pre-Defined

Product Design Specifications are in hand
Product System Architecture is Defined
Product Tunability comes from technology
Technology Robustness is still generic needs more for specific product application
Specific Product Design Benchmarking
(tune to what value for competitive performance?)

Technology vs. Product Streams

Technology Development produces technologies that are
available to be transferred into the stream of product
development
Phase 1:
Integrate VOC, Business
& Tech. Rqts. To focus
Invention & Innovation

Technology Development
Process

Phase 2:
Generate Concepts to fulfill Functions.
Model Parametric Relationships &
Select Superior Concepts
Phase 3:
Transform Superior Concepts into
Robust & Tuneable Designs using
Generic Noise Factors
Phase 4:
Integrate Robust & Tuneable Designs
into Balanced Platforms that are safe to
transfer into Product Commercialization

The
Impermeable
Membrane

Product Development
Process

Concept Design in the Dev. Of

Mfg. Processes
Creation of New Manufacturing Technology
Adapting/Improving an Existing
Manufacturing. Process
Developing Tunable Mfg Processes
Developing Robust Mfg Processes
Developing Capable Mfg Processes
Goal is reduced variation & tunability to
support product design robustness & Cp

Discussion Points
1. How would your company develop a technology road map with
regard to product and manufacturing technology?
2. What impact does technology development have on your
companys ability to get products to the market?
3. Are the lines of communication open & active between your
business strategists, in-bound market, product planning and
technology development personnel?
4. Do they have an integrated product family plan?
5. What is your role in technology development in your company or
career?

The Phases & Gates of

Technology Development

The Phases & Gates Process in

Technology Development
Structured Technology Development
Matching Customer Needs to the Creation,
Development & Integration of a Portfolio of
New & Existing Technologies
Proving the Safety & Maturity of
Technology Prior to Commercialization
The Technology Transfer Process

Structured Technology
Development
What is a Phase?
What is a Gate?
Flexibility & Overlap between Phases &
Gates
Managerial Discipline in the Context of
Technology Performance Facts, Capability
& Capacity Limits

What is a Phase?
A Phase is a structured period of time in which to
complete specific deliverables
Used to plan, define, facilitate, conduct & constrain
appropriate development activities
Deliverables are accomplished through Best Practices that
enable the workforce to efficiently work in a team context
to achieve their goals
Phases are organized & constrained by the overarching
Technology Development Process & its deliverables

What is a Gate?
Provides discipline in phase transitions and risk
management
Transitions where technical knowledge is reviewed &
aligned with business plans, budgets & product line
strategies.
Management reviews the facts & aids efficient progression
into the next phase (or stops dev.)
Goal is to assure safe & maturing technology is integrated
with VOC & product family strategy

Gate Stakeholders

Product Planning Manager (inbound mktg.)

Technology Development Manager
Product Design Manager
Mfg. Manager
Sales Manager (outbound mktg.)
Service/Support Manager
Leadership & Representation at Gate
Reviews is Critical

Flexibility & Overlap between

Phases & Gates
Phases are rarely discrete - typically they
follow a continuum with one phase ramping
down while the subsequent phase ramps up
A few activities may be lagging & go on
into the next phase - this is to be expected
but must be carefully managed.
Gates tend to be more discrete with risk
management focusing on lagging activities

Managerial Discipline in the Context of

Technology Performance Facts,
Capability & Capacity Limits
The True-Truth is in the Data
- Facts about predictd vs. measured functions
- Facts about mean performance
- Facts about variance under nominal
conditions (including meter/expt. error)
- Facts about variance in the presence of stressful
noise factors
- Facts about limits of modeling assumptions &
accuracy vs. real limits of measured performance

Peer Reviews
Peer Reviews should be done at the
beginning & end of each Phase
Collaboration & Communication between
Basic Research Teams, Technology
Development Teams (Prod. & Mfg.) &
Product Commercialization Teams

Technology Development Process

Linkage
Use of the right Best Practices, in the right
Sequence, at the right Time during the Business
Cycle
Best Practices are composed from two elements
- Domain Knowledge
- Process Knowledge
Domain Knowledge is sequenced & timed by
Process Knowledge
Synthesis & Integration of Software, Hardware &
Materials technologies require discipline

Proving the Safety & Maturity of

Technology Prior to Commercialization

What is Safe Technology?

What is Mature Technology?
When & How to say NO
When & How to say GO

Safe Technology
Technology that has been developed from
known laws of physics that have been
identified, understood, modeled & proven to
induce stable, well behaved, measurable &
repeatable performance.
Interactions (co-dependencies between
control factors that effect the response) are
defined & engineered for harmony &
additivity wrt measured functional response.

Mature Technology
Safe technology that has additionally been
made Robust (insensitive) to a generic set of
noise factors that are inherent to the ensuing
product family.
Robust Technology that as been
intentionally developed to be Tunable so it
can support product family functional
ranges.

6 Sigma Quality in
Technology Development
Three major issues
1. Generate specifications required for
functional performance
2. Identification of Critical Functional
Responses that fulfill the specified
performance in subsystem technologies
3. Measurement of Critical functional
Responses (Means & Std. Deviations)

Specify Required
Functional Performance
Determine the target values & range of applications
for the candidate technologies
Develop upper & lower performance specifications
for each target across the tune-able range defined
by the family product plan
Capability

Identification of Critical
Functional Responses (CFRs)
Identify the measurable responses associated with
the fundamental physical actions, transformations
& flows of energy, material & information within
and between each subsystem within a platform
USL & LSL are the Voice Of the Customer based
limits (tolerances) of the measured response
s is the Voice Of the Process as measured in
terms of a sample std. dev. of the CFRs

Measurement of Critical Functional Responses

(CFRs)
Define transducers, instrumentation & computer-aided data
acquisition systems that will be used to
measure critical functional responses
store the data
prepare data for analysis
Assure measurement system capability Cp => 2 and
Gage R&R* <= 30%

*Gage R&R- Gauge repeatability and reproducibility

The 4 Phases of
Technology Development
TD1: Invention, Investigation & Innovation, & Phenomenological
Research Linked to Product portfolio strategy
TD2: Definition, Stabilization & Additivity of Functional
Parameters
TD3: Robustness of Subsystem Functions
TD4. Integration & Transfer of Robust & Tunable Platforms

Technology Development
Phase 1
Align VOC wrt to Business Strategies & Technology Translate
VOC into Technology Houses of Quality
Invention (creation of technologies)
Phenomenological Research Linked to Product portfolio Strategy
Broad Investigation, Tech. Benchmarking & Innovation (R&D of
existing technologies)
Conduct Technology Concept Generation
Quantify the Investment Opportunities (NPV)
VOC-voice of the customer, NPV-net present value

Phase 1 Best Practices

Technology Road Mapping

Technology Benchmarking
Long Term VOC Gathering/Processing
Enhanced QFD
Partnering Process & Strategy
Outsourcing Process & Strategy
Brainstorming/Invention/Innovation Processes
Project Mgt.
TRIZ

QFD-quality function deployment, TRIZ-the theory of inventive thinking/problem solving

Phase 1 Deliverables
Technology Road Maps
- Documented VOC & Business
requirements to drive technology dev.
- Benchmarking Reports
Invention Portfolio (existing)
Re-Use & Leveraging Portfolio (internal/external)
Technology Houses of Quality
(Technology Requirements Documents)
Technology Concepts (Subsystems & Platforms)

Technology Development
Phase 2

Concept Generation, Evaluation & Selection

Definition of Functional Parameters
Stabilization of Functional Relationships (modeling)
Development of inherent robustness and independence of
parameter contributions to Physical Functions
Basic Produceability & Ease of Commercialization (design for
everything DFxMfg., Assy. Service, Maint., Environ., ...)
Superior Technology Concept Selection
Initiation of Critical Parameter Management (6 Sigma)
- Critical Functional Responses
- Critical Functional Parameters

Phase 2 Best Practices

First Principles Scientific Research & Analysis

Functional Analysis & Decomposition
Competitive Technology Functional Analysis
Additivity Analysis
Computer-aided Engineering Analysis & Modeling
Empirical Modeling (Classical DOE, Regression & RSM)
Brainstorming Processes
TRIZ
DF(x) Principles
Pugh Concept Generation & Selection Process
DOE-design of experiments, RSM-response surface methods

Phase 2 Deliverables
Full Portfolio of Technology Concepts Documented...
General Analytical & Empirical Models:
(Parametric Equations including interactions)
Additivity Analysis:(independence of parameter main effects to
function
Commercialization Analysis Report: (design for X issues
documented for feasibility & cost)
Superior Concepts Documented
Critical Parameters & Functional Responses (incl. metrology
systems) Documented

Technology Development
Phase 3
Robustness of Subsystem Functions...
- Failure Mode & Effects Analysis
- Generic Noise Diagramming
- Dynamic Robustness Optimization
- Optimize Ideal Function
- Stress Testing
- Critical Parameter Sensitivity Analysis
- Technology Refinement

Phase 3 Best Practices

Pugh Concept Selection Process

FMEA, FTA, Ishikawa Diagramming
Noise Diagramming
Dynamic Robustness Optimization
Critical Parameter Management
Instrumentation & Data Acquisition
DF(x) refinement

FMEA-failure modes, effects and analysis, FTA-fault tree analysis, Ishikawa a.k.a. fishbone

Phase 3 Deliverables
Engineering Analysis Report:

Dynamic Ideal Functions

Failure Modes, Effects Analysis
Generic Set of Stressful Noise Factors
Mean & Std. Deviation
Optimum Nominal Set points & Dynamic
Adjustment Range

Technology Development
Phase 4
Development & Transfer of Robust &
Tuneable Platforms...
Integration & Evaluation of Robust &
Tuneable Subsystems
Balancing System Performance in the
presence of generic stressful noises
Transfer of Robust & Tuneable Platforms

Phase 4 Best Practices

System Stress Testing/Robustness Optimization
Tolerance Design & Estimation (Mfg. Assess.)
Parameter Balancing & Refinement for Integrated
System Performance
Statistical Process Control/Cp Assessment
Reliability Prediction/Estimation
Cost Estimation
Risk/Benefit Analysis (Transferability)
Critical Parameter Management

Phase 4 Deliverables
Patent Documentation
Commercialization Cost & Personnel Estimates
Platform & Subsystem Critical Parameter
Drawings & Specifications
Risk Assessment
Key Supply Chain Elements
Regulatory, Safety & Environment Assessment

Technology Transfer
Safe & Mature Technology moved to product
development Team
Appropriate Personnel move with technology
Knowledge is documented & transferred
Data are summarized & transferred
Hardware/Electronics/Software is transferred
Instrumentation/Metrology Systems

Discussion Points
How does your company apply phases & gates to
technology development?
What is your opinion of this structured approach to a
typically loosely controlled process?
What are the downsides of practicing technology
development in this way, e.g platforms/tunable tech.?