BA 296-3 and ME 290P

BA 296-3 and ME290P
Fall 1996

Managing the New Product Development Process: Design Theory and Methods


HOMEWORK:

CLASSDATE TOPIC
1 W8/28Introduction to New Product Development (NPD)

Ch. 1: Introduction (pp. 1-12)

2 F8/30NPD Processes and Organizations

Ch. 2: Development Processes and Organizations (pp. 13 - 32)

Bucciarelli, L.L., G. Goldschmidt and B.C. Whipple, "Delta - A Design Exercise," MIT, February 1991

3 W9/4Delta - A Design Exercise

Assignment due: Myers-Briggs (Kiersey) Analysis

4 F9/6Project Proposals and Team Assignments

Assignments due (in class): Project proposals and Delta Design Summary

Assignment due: Project preferences (no later than 5 p.m.)

5 W9/11Theories, Models, Conceptual Frameworks

Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. and Behnam N. Tabrizi, "Accelerating Adaptive Processes: Product Innovation in the Global Computer Industry," ASQ, March 1995

Konda, Monarch, Sargent, Subrahmanian, "Shared Memory in Design: A Unifying Theme for Research and Practice," Research in Engineering Design, 1992

For your project, read Chapter 3: Identifying Customer Needs

6 F9/13Descriptive Studies of the Design Process

Assignment due: Analysis of Delta Design videotapes

Ullman, David G., Thomas G. Dietterich and Larry A. Stauffer, "A Model of the Mechanical Design Process Based on Empirical Data," AI EDAM, 1988.

Katzenbach, Jon R. and Douglas K. Smith, "The Discipline of Teams," Harvard Business Review, March-April 1993, pp. 111-120.

7 W9/18NPD in the Electronics Industry

Quantum Corporation -- Business and Product Teams (HBS 9-692-023)

"Hewlett-Packard Company," The Perpetual Enterprise Machine

8 F9/20NPD in the Software Industry

Assignment Due: Mission Statement and Assessment Plan

Microsoft: Office Business Unit (HBS 9-691-033)

Smith, Stanley A. and Michael A. Cusumano, "Beyond the Software Factory: A Comparison of 'Classic' and PC Software Developers," MIT Working Paper #96-93, September, 1993, Introduction (pp. 1-11), Fujitsu (pp. 30-38), and Lotus (pp. 61-70)

9 W9/25NPD in the Biotech Industry

Becton Dickinson: Advanced Diagnostics Division (HBS 9-693-100)

10 F9/27Concept Development: Customer and User Needs Assessment

Assignment due: Chapter 3, Exercise 3

Ch. 3: Identifying Customer Needs (pp. 33-52)

Urban, Glen L. and Eric von Hippel, "Lead User Analysis for the Development of New Industrial Products," Management Science, May 1988.

11 W10/2Concept Development: Using QFD to Communicate the Voice of the Customer

Ch. 4: Establishing Product Specifications (pp. 53-76)

Hauser, John R. and Don Clausing, "House of Quality," Harvard Business Review, May-June 1988, Reprint # 88307.

SweetWater (HBS 9-695-026)

12 F10/4Concept Development: Concept Generation

Ch. 5: Concept Generation (pp. 77-104)

13 W10/9Voice of the Customer Presentations
14 F10/11Voice of the Customer Presentations
15 W10/16Concept Development: Concept Selection

Assignment due: Chapter 6, exercises 3 and 4.

Ch. 6: Concept Selection (pp. 105-128)

16 F 10/18System Level Design: Product Architecture and Product Partitioning

Ch. 7: Product Architecture (pp. 129 - 150)

Butler, Keith, "Designing Deeper: Towards a User-Centered Development Effort," ACM 1995.

17 W10/23Design for Usability: Role of Industrial Design

Assignment Due: Concept Sketches and Description

Ch. 8: Industrial Design (pp. 151 - 178)

Cyclone Grinder Case, Corporate Design Foundation

"Getting a Grip on Kitchen Tools," @Issue Journal, distributed in class

18 F10/25Design for Usability: User Interface Design

Henninger, Scott, Kyle Haynes, Michael W. Reith, "A Framework for Developing Experience-Based Usability Guidelines," ACM 1995.

Rose, Anne, Ben Shneiderman, Catherine Plaisant, "An Applied Ethnographic Method for Redesigning User Interfaces," ACM 1995.

19 W10/30Design for Manufacturability

Ch. 9: Design for Manufacturability (pp. 179-216)

"Designing the IBM Proprinter," Corporate Design Foundation #88-0927

20 F11/1Design for Environmental Soundness

Ishii, K., C.F. Eubanks and M. Marks, "Evaluation Methodology for Post-Manufacturing Issues in Life-Cycle Design," Concurrent Engineering, 1993

Navichandra, D., "Design for Environmentability," Design Theory and Methodology, ASME 1991

21 W11/6Concept Generation and Selection Presentations
22 F11/8Concept Generation and Selection Presentations
23 W11/13Economics of Product Development

Ch. 11: Economics of Product Development Projects (pp. 233-258)

24 F11/15Role of Prototyping

Ch. 10: Effective Prototyping (pp. 217 - 232)

BMW: The R-Series Project (HBS 9-692-083)

25 W11/20Testing and Refinement: Taguchi Method and Failure Mode Analysis

Assignment Due: Taguchi Analysis (distributed in class)

Taguchi, Genichi and Don Clausing, "Robust Quality," Harvard Business Review, January-February 1990, Reprint #90114

Byrne, Diane M. and Shin Taguchi, "The Taguchi Approach to Parameter Design," Quality Progress, December 1987

26 F11/22Testing and Refinement: A Case Study

Assignment Due: Final Product Specifications and Financial Analysis

Boehm Automotive Suppliers (A) (HBS N9-693-096)

27 W11/27Tools for Managing NPD Projects: Project Management

Ch. 12: Managing Product Development Projects (pp. 259 - 282)

Dong, Andy, Frank Moore, Cameron Woods, and Alice M. Agogino, "Managing Design Knowledge in Enterprise-Wide CAD"

28 F11/29THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
29 W12/4Project Presentations
30 F12/6Project Presentations
Sat.12/14Project Review (8 a.m. - 11 a.m.)

BA 296-3 and ME 290P

Managing the New Product Development Process: Design Theory and Methods

http://hart.ME.berkeley.edu/~290p/f96/

Professor Alice Agogino and Dr. Sara L. Beckman

Fall, 1996

READINGS FOR THIS COURSE CAN BE FOUND IN TWO PLACES:

Required Textbook: Product Design and Development, Karl T. Ulrich and Steven P. Eppinger, available at the UC bookstore (and also used in last year's class). In the outline below, CHAPTER X always refers to the readings from the text.

Required Course Reader: Also available from the UC bookstore; slightly changed from last year.

Class 1: Introduction to New Product Development (NPD)

Wednesday, August 28th

We will cover course logistics and requirements and then develop the motivation and framework for the course. Read the December 13, 1993 Fortune article, PAYOFF FROM THE NEW MANAGEMENT (accessible through the Melvyl network in the library), which describes a successful product development effort at Thermos, and CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Consider the thought question at the end of Chapter 1.

(NOTE: If you have not used the Melvyl network before, here is one way you can access the article. Log on to the network in the library or from a terminal in the computer center. Go to the business catalog by typing "bus" and then to the magazines and journals database by typing "mags". There are numerous ways to find the article at this point. One approach is to type "find xt payoff" which will give you a list of 19 items that have the word payoff in the title. Then type "display text 4" which will display the text for the fourth article, which is the assigned article. Note that both find and display can be shortened and represented by their first letters, f and d, respectively.)

Class 2: New Product Development Processes and Organizations

Friday, August 30th

Read CHAPTER 2: DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS. Do Exercise #4 at the end of the chapter and bring your sketch to class. (You may do this work in teams.) Also consider thought question #4. Read DELTA -- A DESIGN EXERCISE and come to class prepared with any questions you may have about the exercise. We will assign roles in class and "train" you to play your role.

Assignment due in Class on Wednesday, September 4th: During the next few class sessions, we will talk about team dynamics and interactions as being critical to new product development success. You will have a chance to observe first-hand the difficulties in team formation and process during the Delta Design Exercise. To provide another dimension to understanding team dynamics, complete a simplified version of the Myers-Briggs test, the Kiersey test, available on the WWW. (MBA students may use the results of the test they took last year, if available.)

Class 3: Delta -- A Design Exercise

Wednesday, September 4th

Re-read the role assignment you were given in class. Make sure that you thoroughly understand the role you are to play. If you do not, please ask questions of your trainer to clarify your position. Prepare any materials you believe you will need to play the role. DO NOT discuss the other three roles with others in the class. On the day of class, go straight to the room to which you are assigned and convene your team as quickly as possible, as you will find that 1 1/2 hours is quite short for accomplishing this work. YOU MAY WISH TO LEAVE SOME EXTRA TIME AT THE END OF THE CLASS TO COMPLETE THE EXERCISE, or you may have to arrange with your group to meet again before Friday's class.

Your Delta Design Team will receive another assignment on Friday, September 6th when you will be given the design and videotape from another design team to analyze. It would be appropriate to schedule time to do this analysis (sometime between Friday, September 6th and Friday, September 13th) while you are together doing the design exercise.

Due at the end of this class session:

Assignment due in class on Friday, September 6th includes:

These materials will be passed along with your videotape to another team in the class. That team will be charged with reviewing your design and analyzing the design process your team employed.

NOTE: Project Proposals are due on Thursday, September 5th at 3 p.m.

Class 4: Project Proposals

Friday, September 6th

We will use this class session to review in some detail the various proposals that have been put forth for design projects. See instructions for the design project for more detail. Students who wish to sell their design ideas to the rest of the class will be allotted time to do so during this class session. By the end of the class session, you should be prepared to submit your top three choices for projects on which you wish to participate.

In addition to discussing the projects, we will briefly discuss your experience in the Delta Design Exercise. At the end of class, you will be given a copy of another group's design and videotape, and asked to analyze them for class on Friday, September 13th.

Assignment due in class on September 13th: Read A MODEL OF THE MECHANICAL DESIGN PROCESS BASED ON EMPIRICAL DATA. Meet with your Delta Design Team (including observers) to review the tapes and design documents from another team. (You will have received these in class on Friday, September 6th.) View the tapes, analyze them, and answer the following questions:

NOTE: Project preferences are due by 5 p.m today.

Class 5: Theories, Models and Conceptual Frameworks

Wednesday, September 11th

The reading this week will be a bit more intensive than in other weeks, as we are providing you with an overview of the academic literature on new product development. Read ACCELERATING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT which presents a review of the literature on new product development and some models for thinking about product development processes. Then read SHARED MEMORY IN DESIGN: A UNIFYING THEME FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE which presents a broader view of the field of design. What are the common themes in the two papers? What are the most interesting findings from a practical perspective?

On reserve: There is another literature review by Brown and Eisenhardt, "New Product Development Research: Past Research, Present Findings, and Future Directions," Academy of Management Review, April 1995 that may interest those of you seeking more background in organizational design of new product development processes.

Class 6: Descriptive Studies of the Design Process

Friday, September 13th

Bring your videotape analyses to class. We will discuss your findings and observations about the teams you observed. In addition, read THE DISCIPLINE OF TEAMS. What does the paper say about using information from tests such as the Myers-Briggs (Kiersey) test? What roles does the paper suggest that the course faculty (Agogino and Beckman) should play? How would you have changed your Delta Design Exercise experience were you to have read this paper ahead of time? Would dicussing your Myers-Briggs profiles with your Delta Design team members have helped you work better with one another?

Regarding the Ullman article: Does the "task/episode accumulation" (TEA) model developed by the authors do a good job of capturing the design process? What do you like and dislike about the model? How would you change it? What does the authors' approach to modeling tell you about the mechanical design process itself?

Class 7: NPD in the Electronics Industry

Wednesday, September 18th

This session commences a three session cluster on new product development practices in the electronics, software and biotechnology/pharmaceutical industries. We attempt to provide you with an integrative perspective of new product development in these industries as well as a sense of the similarities and differences among them.

Prepare QUANTUM CORPORATION -- BUSINESS AND PRODUCT TEAMS for class discussion. This case describes the multi-year effort at Quantum Corporation, a Silicon Valley-based disk drive company, to develop distinctive capability in new product development. That capability, based on heavyweight product teams under the direction of cross-functional business teams, has been the basis for success in the corporation's efforts to gain a commanding position in the 3.5" disk drive market. The case reviews the company's experience on a number of development teams and the evolution of business teams for each of its three primary businesses.

1. What is required to be successful in the Winchester disk drive industry? What do you think accounts for Quantum's success?

2. What is your evaluation of Quantum's progress to-date in developing and applying team concepts?

3. How effective have the major teams been? What accounts for their primary differences in effectiveness?

4. How would you recommend that Dave Brown address the team-related issues raised at the end of the case? Why? Are there other team issues that you would add as high priority on his list?

5. Develop an overall plan of action for addressing these issues. How should they be linked to other aspects of Quantum's management approach? How should they measure and track their progress in implementing that plan? (Be specific as to actions taken, their timing, and the results expected.)

Skim CHAPTER 14: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY (pp. 393-425) in The Perpetual Enterprise Machine: Seven Keys to Corporate Renewal Through Successful Product and Process Development, edited by Bowen, Clark, Holloway and Wheelwright. This chapter will provide you with additional insight into the product development processes of electronics companies.

Class 8: NPD in the Software Industry

Friday, September 20th

NOTE: Mission Statements etc. are due today.

Prepare the case MICROSOFT: OFFICE BUSINESS UNIT. The case investigates product development in the personal computer software industry. It focuses on the development of Word for Windows (or "WinWord"), a critical product for the Microsoft Corporation. WinWord was the first popular Microsoft application to run on the Windows operating system, which has become the company's most important product platform. The WinWord project took a very long time to complete. The schedule delays and the significant confusion during the project reflect problems associated with the project's organization, the turbulent history of the company's development process, and the evolution of its market environment.

1. What is your assessment of the WinWord project? Why did it take so long?

2. What is your evaluation of Microsoft's development process? What are its weaknesses? Its strengths?

3. Why is the company so successful? Do you think that it will remain successful?

4. How should Microsoft's development process evolve in the future? What specific suggestions would you have for the company?

5. What should Raikes do with respect to the next generation WinWord project?

For background on product development practices in the software industry at other companies besides Microsoft, skim BEYOND THE SOFTWARE FACTORY: A COMPARISON OF 'CLASSIC' AND PC SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS, Introduction (pp. 1-11), Fujitsu (pp. 30-38), and Lotus (pp. 61-70). For those of you wishing to read other sections of this paper, including reviews of the product development processes at Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft, the complete working paper is on reserve. Michael Cusumano and Richard Selby have also written a book on product development at Microsoft entitled Microsoft Secrets, available a local bookstores. For those of you more interested in software development in Japan, Michael Cusumano's book Japan's Software Factories is also available.

Class 9: NPD in the Biotech Industry

Wednesday, September 25th

Prepare the BECTON DICKINSON: ADVANCED DIAGNOSTICS DIVISION case. This case examines product development challenges at Becton Dickinson. It focuses on the Advanced Diagnostics Division (BDAD) which was created to combined the company's expertise in immunodiagnostics to efficiently deliver products to a diverse set of markets. The case describes BDAD's model for product development and discusses in some detail the role of the program manager.

1. Analyze BDAD's development process. What are its strengths and weaknesses?

2. How would you characterize the program manager's role at BDAD? What evidence do you have?

3. Should the new format test be developed internally or at Quidel? What should Forlenza do, given his circumstances?

On reserve, for those wishing more background on product development in the biotechnology/ pharmaceutical industry:

Henderson, Rebecca, "Managing Innovation in the Information Age," Harvard Business Review, January-February 1994.

Vogel, Brian L., "Concept Development for High-Technology and Medical Products," Design Management Journal, Fall 1993.

Class 10: Concept Development: Customer and User Needs Assessment

Friday, September 27th

Read CHAPTER 3: IDENTIFYING CUSTOMER NEEDS and LEAD USER ANALYSIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS by Urban and von Hippel. Consider the thought questions at the end of Chapter 3, and be prepared to discuss the chapter material and other methods of gathering, organizing and deploying the "voice of the customer."

Assignment due today: Perform exercise #3 at the end of the chapter. Prepare a 1-2 page summary of your answers to the questions.

For those of you wishing additional information on customer and user needs assessment, the following papers are on reserve:

And, if you wish further depth in the market aspects of new product development there are two Management of Technology classes that cover marketing issues:

Class 11: Concept Development: Using QFD to Communicate the Voice of the Customer

Wednesday, October 2nd

Read CHAPTER 4: ESTABLISHING PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS, and HOUSE OF QUALITY. Prepare the SWEETWATER case for class discussion. The SweetWater case will allow us to understand how the "voice of the customer" must be chased back to clearly stated needs that vividly incorporate the user experience with the product, and will provide a structured way of thinking about stratifying user needs. The following questions should guide your case preparation:

(You should start applying some of the methods you are learning in class to your design project. Note that you will have to select from among many methods the ones that are most appropriate to your development project.)

Class 12: Concept Development: Concept Generation

Friday, October 4th

This class session will focus on brainstorming and "ideation" techniques used by new product development teams to generate product ideas from their understanding of customer wants and needs and of the available technologies. Read CHAPTER 5: CONCEPT GENERATION. Consider thought questions 2, 3, and 5. We will use the Vizability Software in class to show additional concept generation techniques. This will launch the next phase of your projects' development efforts as you begin to translate customer needs into various product concepts.

Additional references for those of you interested in techniques for stimulating creativity:

Both books have a number of exercises intended to stimulate creativity, similar to some of those used in class.

Class 13: Voice of the Customer Presentations

Wednesday, October 9th

This will be the first of three presentations you will give on your product development project. Plan 10 minutes MAXIMUM for the presentation so that we can fit all projects into two class sessions. If you plan to use the in-class podium to give your presentation, make very sure that it works before you come to class, as we will not have time to spend trying to bring up your presentation materials.

Your presentation should cover the following: a mission statement, such as is shown on page 37 of your textbook, a brief review of the means used to collect customer and user needs information, a summary of the identified customer and user needs, and a brief summary of lessons learned in the process to date. Please bring a hardcopy report to class as well to be turned in along with a copy of your slides. Bring two copies -- one for each faculty member.

Come to class prepared to actively listen to your peers talk about their projects, ask them constructive questions and provide them feedback on the direction their projects are taking.

Class 14: Voice of the Customer Presentations

Friday, October 11th

See Class 13.

Class 15: Concept Development: Concept Selection

Wednesday, October 16th

Once you have generated a set of possible product concepts, you must identify the one or ones that you will actually work on. During this class session, we review methodologies for choosing from among the options. Read CHAPTER 6: CONCEPT SELECTION. Bring your results to class. During class we will review these concepts as well as the application of probability theory and decision analysis to concept selection. Proceed to apply these methodologies to your design projects.

Assignment due: Complete exercises #3 and 4.

For a concise and brief review of probability theory, some of you may wish to refer to the following materials which are on reserve: Agogino, A.M., "The Logic of Probability Theory," October 1992.

Class 16: System Level Design: Product Architectures and Product Partitioning

Friday, October 18th

Read CHAPTER 7: PRODUCT ARCHITECTURE and DESIGNING DEEPER: TOWARDS A USER-CENTERED DEVELOPMENT EFFORT. Complete exercise 2 or 3 at the end of the chapter and be prepared to discuss thought questions 1 and 2. We will discuss the importance of good product partitioning and its relationship to the organizational design of a new product development effort as well as to the overall product strategy of a firm.

Should you wish to read additional material on product architecture and the implications of modular design, look at the following articles on reserve:

Class 17: Design for Usability (Role of Industrial Design)

Friday, October 23rd

NOTE: Concept Sketches are due today.

This class launches a four-session module on "design for x," where x refers to many aspects of design from manufacturability to serviceability to usability. We have chosen to focus on product usability, with two sessions on industrial design and user interface design, manufacturability and designing for environmental soundness. Each company chooses to focus on the specific "design for x" issues that are important in its industry.

Read CHAPTER 8: INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AND GETTING A GRIP ON KITCHEN TOOLS. (Note that there is also an article about Web site design in this issue of @Issue.) Consider thought questions 1 and 3. Prepare the CYCLONE GRINDER Case for class discussion.

1. What do you like about the process that Ingersoll Rand used to design the Cyclone Grinder? What do you not like about the process?

2. What role did the industrial designers play on the team?

3. What does it mean to do "outside-in" versus "inside-out" design? Look at products in your everyday life. Find examples of products that were designed "outside-in" and ones that were designed "inside-out."

For a deeper understanding of design (industrial design, product design, architecture) and its role in business development, take Management of Technology course BA 296: Design as a Strategic Business Issue.

The Cyclone Grinder case is also accessible on the Web. Simply access the home page for this class, and you will find a link to the case. Alternatively, we have placed the CD-ROM version of the case on reserve in both the Business and Engineering libraries if you prefer to review the materials in that form. The electronic version of the case allows you to see pictures of the products as well as hear directly from the players quoted in the written case.

Class 18: Design for Usability (User Interface Design)

Friday, October 25th

Read A FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING EXPERIENCE-BASED USABILITY GUIDELINES and AN APPLIED ETHNOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR REDESIGNING USER INTERFACES. While the last class was focused on physical design principles (e.g., ergonomics), in this class we will turn to the design of software user interfaces. In preparation for class discussion, choose three of the user interface design rules listed below. First, interpret what they mean, and then use your favorite software package(s) to find examples of their implementation (or lack of implementation.) Where do these rules fit in the taxonomies provided by the readings?

Following is a list of user interface design rules that you may find helpful in your team's work:

(Note: This list was generated through an extensive survey of people working in the human-computer interface design field. Results of the survey are reported more extensively by Arnold M. Lund of Ameritech in "Expert Ratings of Rules of Thumb for Usability.")

Other rules:

These rules should prove useful as you take your product prototypes out and test them with users.

Class 19: Design for Manufacturability

Wednesday, October 30th

Read CHAPTER 9: DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURABILITY and prepare the case DESIGNING THE IBM PROPRINTER. Come to class prepared to discuss the following questions:

1. What was IBM's product strategy for the Proprinter?

2. In what ways does reducing the number of component parts in design reduce the total cost of the product to the firm?

For more background on the IBM Proprinter product design activity, see the paper on reserve: "Matrix printer: no pulleys, belts, or screws," IEEE Spectrum, May 1987.

To understand more about the manufacturing implications of new product designs, take Management of Technology course BA 296/ME 221: Intelligent Manufacturing Systems.

Class 20: Design for Environmental Soundness

Friday, November 1st

Read EVALUATION FOR POST-MANUFACTURING ISSUES IN LIFE-CYCLE DESIGN and DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENTABILITY. Come prepared to discuss the key issues in designing environmentally sound products and the means by which environmental considerations can be built into the design process. Revisit the Cyclone Grinder case. Would Ingersoll-Rand have taken a different approach to product design if environmental issues had been considered? Observe examples in your everyday life of products that were and were not designed for environmental soundness. Would using environmental design principles make any difference to your projects?

Class 21: Concept Generation and Selection Presentations

Wednesday, November 6th

Prepare a 10-minute (maximum) presentation of your product concept. The presentation should include a very brief review of your mission statement, customer needs, selected concept, and your key target specifications. You should also prepare a "proof-of-concept" prototype. We will give each team 10 minutes to present and allow 5 minutes for questions from the rest of the class.

Class 22: Concept Generation and Selection Presentations

Friday, November 8th

See Class 21.

Class 23: Economics of Product Development and Activity Based Costing

Wednesday, November 13th

Read CHAPTER 11: ECONOMICS OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS and THE RETURN MAP by Price and House in Harvard Business Review (copies on reserve). Consider thought questions 1 and 2 at the end of the chapter. What do you like and dislike about the "return map?" We will discuss performance measurement, investment justification and cost accounting implications of new product development activities.

Class 24: Testing and Refinement: Role of Prototyping throughout the NPD Process

Friday, November 15th

Read CHAPTER 10: EFFECTIVE PROTOTYPING and prepare the case BMW: THE R-SERIES PROJECT for class discussion. This case focuses on a decision about how to prototype a product in development. Discussion of the alternatives provides insight into the different roles that prototyping can play in product development and why different prototyping approaches may be more or less appropriate within specific organizational and strategic contexts. The prototyping decision allows you to examine how the product development process influences product quality along such dimensions as conformance, performance and appearance.

1. What are the causes and consequence of BMW's quality problems with newly launched products? What should be done to improve "launch quality?"

2. What are your recommendations to Carl-Peter Forster concerning the 7-series prototypes? What should he do regarding future development projects?

3. What changes would you recommend in the way BMW develops new models? What attributes of newly launched products would you expect to improve as a result of these recommendations? Which attributes might deteriorate?

4. What recommendations would you make to Chairman von Kuenheim regarding BMW's strategy to compete against new Japanese entrants into the luxury car market?

Some of you may also be interested in reading

Class 25: Testing and Refinement: Taguchi Method and Failure Mode Analysis

Wednesday, November 20th

Read ROBUST QUALITY and THE TAGUCHI APPROACH TO PARAMETER DESIGN (on reserve in the library for engineering students; business students have in their BA 204 syllabi). What does "robust quality" mean? How does a good new product development team go about achieving it? Don Clausing has written a book called Total Quality Development. What do you suppose the title means? We will introduce the notion of failure mode analysis as well as review the Taguchi Method.

Class 26: Testing and Refinement: A Case Study

Friday, November 22nd

NOTE: Final Product Specifications, etc. are due today.

Prepare the BOEHM AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS (A) case which describes a project aimed at the development of the COMP 1, an automobile air conditioning compressor. The project was revolutionary for Boehm's Climate Engineering Division, employing a new dedicated team approach to product development and resulting in a design which appears to exhibit impressive features and cost potential.

1. What is your assessment of the approach used in the COMP 1 project?

2. What is your evaluation of the COMP 1 team's progress so far?

3. What is your evaluation of the proposed test plan for the COMP 1?

4. As Stan Ellis, what are your critical action items to ensure the successful completion of the project?

If you are interested in more information on testing and refinement in the software industry, see the article on reserve: Boehm, Barry W., "Verifying and Validating Software Requirements and Design Specifications," IEEE, 1984.

Class 27: Tools for Managing NPD Projects

Wednesday, November 27th

Read CHAPTER 12: MANAGING NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS and MANAGING DESIGN KNOWLEDGE IN ENTERPRISE-WIDE CAD. Complete exercises 1, 2 and 3 at the end of the chapter and consider thought questions 3 and 4.

Class 28 & 29: Project Presentations

Wednesday, December 4th and Friday, December 6th

Final project presentations.

Final Exam Period: Project Review and Feedback

Saturday, December 14th, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Although there is no final exam in this class, we expect to hold a session during the final exam at which time we will provide feedback to you on your projects and will discuss the lessons learned during your product development efforts.

Last updated: 23 August 1996 by Andy Dong