A Model-Based Framework to Overlap Product Development Activities

TLDR

Intense competition forces firms to accelerate product development, yet overlapping interrelated activities can raise costs and lower quality if not carefully managed. This study aims to move beyond the simple recommendation to overlap activities as much as possible. The authors propose a model‑based framework that identifies when and how to overlap coupled product development activities, illustrated with applications to electronic pagers and automobile doors.

Abstract

Intense competition in many industries forces manufacturing firms to develop new, higher quality products at an increasingly rapid pace. Overlapping product development activities is an important component of concurrent product development that can help firms develop products faster. However, since product development activities may be coupled in complex ways, overlapping interrelated activities can present many difficulties. Without careful management of the overlapped product development process, the development effort and cost may increase, and product quality may worsen. This paper goes beyond the common recommendation to simply overlap activities as much as possible. We present a model-based framework to manage the overlapping of coupled product development activities. The model and framework identify conditions under which various types of overlapping are appropriate for a pair of coupled activities. We illustrate the model and framework with industrial applications involving the development of electronic pagers and automobile doors.