Ch 8: overseeing the new products projects Flashcards
what type of product matrix exists, link to the continuum by Crawford & di benetto
PRODUCT MATRICES
- transparant product matrix: where all depertemens help for a small amount in the development of new products.
- heavyweaigh product matrix: where the product managers works together with a functional team, they spend a lot of time on the project
- autonomous: all the departments spend a lot of time on the development of a new product with de PM
CONTINUUM: shows the degree of projectizzation but also the level op help on the conitniuum, the more to the rights the more help.
-> functional matrix -> balanced matrix -> project matrix -> venture 100%
LINK WITH EACH OTHER: the autonomous has a lot of help, the transparent less. same thinking can be applies for the conituum of a lot of aid for the project, to less ais.
Clark & Fujimoto explain the heacyweigt product managers in the automotive industry -> characteristics
heavyweight = cross functional PM <> lowweight = functional PM
- cross functional
- have gathered a lot of expertise in the entire product chain
- interpersonal communications outside of their own area
- influence outside of their own area
- contact with the working level engineers
- very-market oriented
Explain the Honda Accord process
Honda wanted to create a car under the vision: man maximum, machine minimum. under that came the idee of having large windows to create man maximum and smaller engine with a lower car front.
When brainstorming for ideas, the car was associated with rugby players in suits where keywords came forward such as: love forever (customer satisfaction), stress free (stable en reduce vibrations, open-minded, tough spirit( eacy to manouvre),…
But when executing the ideas didn’t match with what they had in mind in the first place. The large window makes for a lot of heat, so a larger airco is needed, which in return needs a larger engine and so a larger front of the car that is higher.
instead of choosing one or the other, they created a smakker powerful motor so the window and the low engine hood could be kept.
Describe the main challenges in terms of team structures & compositions during new product development
structure of the team needs to mathc with the style of the project
- diversity in terms of functions, gender, age, personality
- efficiency challenge; it is important to witch teamd form project to project
- challenge groupthink: when the group is to homogenous, they think a like
tools that can be used by PM to better steer projects processes
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
1) major activities are idenitief
2) activites are devidided into tasks and subtasks
3) an estimation is made for the needed resources and time
f.ex: product recall a work breakdown structure can help to the team to show the process they need to follow, it’s a sort of a checklist
CRITICAL PATH METHOD (CPM)
All the activities are laid out so that there is an overview of activities that can happen simultaneously or the ones that need to be fulfilled in order to go further. This gives the opportunity to avoid overlap in time framing and bottleneck.
GHANNT-CHART
Can be compared to the critical path method, but the difference is that you can see which activity has been completed. Also the start and end date, who is fulfilling the activity, deadlines,…
Define the differect ytpes of review and fdifferend types of testing
DIFFERENT TYPES OF REVIEWS
1) business screening: looking at the business case to see if it has an acceptable risk of success, so the estimated revenue and costs and looking if it is a strategic fit for the company
2) definition checkpoint:new product committee will check if the product is
- well positioned in the market
- product specifications are reasonable and manufacturable
- resources are available an manufacturable
3) evaluation of the development readiness: after prototyping, the product should go to rigour testing
4) soft new products review by the stakeholders
5) portfolio review: looking if the products fits wihting the portfolio. F.ex; Heinz and Krafts Mac n cheese
TYPES OF TESTING
- functional testing: testing in a lab or in the field to see if the product is safe and reliable
- customer testing: is is appriopate design
- market testing
- in house testing
- beta testing: prototype testing
QUESTIONS DURING DEVELOPMENT READINESS APPRAISAL
- Does the protoyptoe dow hat is expeted
- any production problems
- does in meet the customers needs?
- minor changes to imporive the product
- major changes that will clash with the timing of launch
- have costs been confirmed
…
scope creep, how to avoid it
Scope screep is when functions and functionalieis are added without keeping into consideration time, costs, resources, customer approval.
These occur due to lack of definition of the product, lach of following though.
They can be avoided by
- having discipline and following though with the plan that was made in the first place
- having a detailed definition that is translated into the different business jargon of the departments
- establish a contract between the project ream and exectuve team
