Products are becoming increasingly complex, not only in terms of function but also in terms of the requirements they have to fulfill in global mass production. Short market cycles, converging technology and cutthroat price competition are also forcing businesses to develop new and successful products on increasingly tighter deadlines. For companies, a successful product development process (PDP) is an important foundation for maintaining a competitive edge and adapting to future market conditions. A consortium of experts formed by centers in the Steinbeis Network has now analyzed the PDP as part of a new study that was presented at the Steinbeis Engineering Day.
In the study, the Steinbeis experts examined the conditions needed for the PDP to succeed at a manufacturing company. By identifying and analyzing problem areas, key success factors and potential solutions in the product development process, businesses can uncover hidden potential and put this potential to use. The Steinbeis Engineering Study provides basic advice on how to meet current challenges successfully.
One of the findings of the study was that many problems encountered in the PDP stem from the way people work across departments. For example, although 80% of the respondents believed that communication within departments involved in the PDP was good, only just over 40% of respondents said the same about communication between departments. Even communication with third-party business partners was given a higher score than communication between departments. Another finding clearly indicated that product managers involved in the PDP play a significant role as “promoters”. In the future, the involvement and qualification of product managers at small and medium-sized companies will be a key challenge.
The results of the study have been documented in two publications, both issued by Steinbeis-Edition. Part 1 contains a detailed analysis of the survey findings, complete with the topics and issues raised by telephone interviews. The aim of this part is to point to unused potential in product development and make proper use of it. The Steinbeis-Europa- Zentrum was responsible for designing the study, running the questionnaire, conducting the in-depth interviews and subsequently analyzing the results. It also wrote a summary of Part 1 of the study. Part 2 draws on some of the issues in the product development process, analyzes these and adds specific solutions developed by the experts from Steinbeis. The reader is also provided with methods, materials and tools that can be adjusted to the in-house PDP as required. This part of the study was pulled together under the leadership of experts at the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Production and Management and the MIT Steinbeis Transfer Center (Management - Innovation - Technology).
Both publications are free and can be ordered here.
Steinbeis Foundation (Stuttgart)
stw@stw.de