"D"

Question 1

Dashboard

Answer 1

A typically colored graphical presentation of a project’s status or a portfolio’s status by project resembling a vehicle’s dashboard. Typically, red is used to flag urgent problems, yellow to flag impending problems, and green to signal on projects on track.

Question 2

Data

Answer 2

Measurements taken at the source of a business process

Question 3

Database

Answer 3

An electronic gathering of information organized in some way to make it easy to search, discover, analyze, and manipulate.

Question 4

Decision Screens

Answer 4

Sets of criteria that are applied as checklists or screens at new product decision points. The criteria may vary by stage in the process. (See Chapter 7 in The PDMA ToolBook 1 and Chapter 21 of The PDMA HandBook 2nd Edition.)

Question 5

Decision Tree

Answer 5

A diagram used for making decisions in business or computer programming. The “branches” of the tree diagram represent choices with associated risk s, costs, results, and outcome probabilities. By calculating outcomes (profits) for each of the branches, the best decision for the firm can be determined.

Question 6

Decline Stage

Answer 6

The fourth and last stage of the product life cycle. Entry into this stage is generally caused by technology advancements, consumer or user preference changes, global competition or environmental or regulatory changes. (See Chapter 34 of The PDMA HandBook 2nd Edition).

Question 7

Defenders

Answer 7

Firms that stake out a product turf and protect it by whatever means, not necessarily through developing new products.

Question 8

Deliverable

Answer 8

The output (such as test reports, regulatory approvals, working prototypes or marketing research reports) that shows a project has achieved a result. Deliverables may be specified for the commercial launch of the product or at the end of a development stage.

Question 9

Delphi Processes

Answer 9

A technique that uses iterative rounds of consensus development across a group of experts to arrive at a forecast of the most probable outcome for some future state.

Question 10

Demographic

Answer 10

The statistical description of a human population. Characteristics included in the description may include gender, age, education level, and marital status, as well as various behavioral and psychological characteristics.

Question 11

Derivative Product

Answer 11

A new product based on changes to an existing product that modifies, refines, or improves some product features without affecting the basic product architecture or platform.

Question 12

Design for the Environment (DFE)

Answer 12

The systematic consideration of environmental safety and health issues over the product’s projected life cycle in the design and development process.

Question 13

Design for Excellence (DFX)

Answer 13

The systematic consideration of ALL relevant life cycle factors, such as manufacturability, reliability, maintainability, affordability, testability, etc., in the design and development process.

Question 14

Design for Maintainability (DFMt)

Answer 14

The systematic consideration of maintainability issues over the productís projected life cycle in the design and development process.

Question 15

Design for Manufacturability (DFM)

Answer 15

The systematic consideration of manufacturing issues in the design and development process, facilitating the fabrication of the product’s components and their assembly into the overall product.

Question 16

Design of Experiments (DOE)

Answer 16

A statistical method for evaluating multiple product and process design parameters simultaneously rather than one parameter at a time.

Question 17

Design to Cost

Answer 17

A development methodology that treats costs as an independent design parameter, rather than an outcome. Cost objectives are established based on customer affordability and competitive constraints.

Question 18

Design Validation

Answer 18

Product tests to ensure that the product or service conforms to defined user needs and requirements. These may be performed on working prototypes or using computer simulations of the finished product.

Question 19

Development

Answer 19

The functional part of the organization responsible for converting product requirements into a working product. Also, a phrase in the overall concept to market cycle where the new product or service is developed for the first time.

Question 20

Development Change Order (DCO)

Answer 20

A document used to implement changes during product development. It spells out the desired change, the reason for the change and the consequences to time to market, development cost, and to the cost of producing the final product. It gets attached to the project’s charter as an addendum.

Question 21

Development Teams

Answer 21

teams formed to take one or more new products from concept through development, testing and launch.

Question 22

Digital Mock-Up

Answer 22

An electronic model of the product created with a solids modeling program. Mock ups can be used to check for interface interferences and component incompatibilities. Using a digital mock-up can be less expensive than building physical prototypes.

Question 23

Discontinuous Innovation

Answer 23

Previously unknown products that establish new consumption patterns and behavior changes. Examples include microwave ovens and the cellular phones.

Question 24

Discounted Cash-Flow (DCF) Analysis

Answer 24

One method for providing an estimate of the current value of future incomes and expenses projected for a project. Future cash flows for a number of years are estimated for the project, and then discounted back to the present using forecast interest rates

Question 25

Discrete Choice Experiment

Answer 25

A quantitative market research tool used to model and predict customer buying decisions.

Question 26

Dispersed Teams

Answer 26

Product development teams that have members working at different locations, across time zones, and perhaps even in different countries.

Question 27

Distribution

Answer 27

The method and partners used to get the product (or service) from where it is produced to where the end user can buy it.

Question 28

Divergent Thinking

Answer 28

Technique performed early in the initial phase of idea generation that expands thinking processes to generate, record and recall a high volume of new or interesting ideas.

Question 29

Dynamically Continuous Innovation

Answer 29

A new product that changes behavior, but not necessarily consumption patterns. Examples include Palm Pilots, electric toothbrushes, and electric haircurlers.

Question 30

Disruptive Innovation

Answer 30

A technology that does not (necessarily) bring improved products to established customers, instead it offers other benefits - simpler, more convenient, or less expensive, and appeal to new or less demanding customers.

It offer a new technical approach or business model that upsets the traditional way of doing things.