Bridge the gap with Interim Management
Define, communicate, and track the PD process
Simple tools for PD portfolio analysis
Map Intellectual Property (IP) white space for new designs
Six Sigma statistical analysis for process improvement
Use our tools to fast-track SBIR proposals
Lead the industry and develop internal product safety standards
Prove the investment with financial business case analysis
Get clear guidance with Common Cause Analysis
Bridge the gap with Interim Management
Problem: The client’s search for a new Director of Product Development had been going on for several months. Development projects and staff direction were beginning to drift. The implementation of a new product development management system was months behind schedule. Senior management was beginning to feel the pressure to get things back on track.
Approach: With one day lead time and another day of background briefing and Statement of Work development, interim product development management was in place and up to speed.
Results: Coordinated, visible support for dozens of development projects was in place and solidified within two weeks. They were put back on schedule for trade show release later in the year. The team began to pull together, the organization chart was cleaned up, and roles and responsibilities were clarified. The new product development management system was fully implemented and the staff trained by the third month. Systems and processes were documented for handoff in the fourth month. Training and mentoring of the newly appointed FTE Director of Product Development was complete by the end of the fifth month.
Read more about Interim Management and how we can help.
Define, communicate, and track the PD process
Problem: A leader in branded industrial hardware manufacturing found that existing, informal processes were inadequate to ensure the integrated and timely development of an innovative new line of products into a new market. In order to hit a series of firm market dates they needed simple tools to plan, communicate, and track concurrent development projects.
Approach: Gather company-specific information with one day of on-site background interviews. Adapt visual product development management tools to clarify the development process and bring it into agreement with external calendar dates. Ensure adoption and proper use through follow-up training meetings.
Results: In less than three months, the development team was fully tooled, trained, and performing by using a range of concurrent product development management tools. The portfolio planning tools included an Innovation Matrix, multi-year product/category development plan, and project portfolio analysis models. A new, step-by-step, calendar-driven standard operating procedures and related checklists and gates processes were in place. A Deliverables Roadmap focused attention onto completed deliverables and a visual concurrent project status board supported weekly coordination meetings.
Read more about Execution and how we can help.
Simple tools for PD portfolio analysis
Problem: A product-focused client needed to make informed decisions about their portfolio of new product development projects but didn’t have the time, staff, or inclination to undertake lengthy and detailed financial analyses of the dozens of candidate projects.
Approach: Directly based on corporate decision-making criteria, a simplified utility model, was developed that simultaneously addressed both the value and feasibility of the entire portfolio of candidate projects.
Results: The final portfolio prioritization tool was simple to understand and apply. It allowed a large field of candidate projects to be evaluated within a few hours. The resulting opportunity map clearly identified the projects with the best value-feasibility trade-offs and provided a balanced product development investment portfolio that was completely aligned with corporate preferences.
Read more about Metrics and how we can help.
Map Intellectual Property (IP) white space for new designs
Problem: A small, lean, innovation-focused manufacturer planned a broad new product rollout in a category crowded with competitors’ IP. Schedule and workforce pressures were forcing them to make choices between investing in design development activities and completing due diligence in reviewing prior art.
Approach: Client staff focused on design and prototype model development while Concurrent PD handled the prior art search. IP reviews included both U.S. patent and commercial art covering six different product concepts. Candidate design approaches were evaluated and new, protectable design white space was defined.
Results: Early identification of a potential patent conflict redirected the design of a key element of the planned rollout and saved tens of thousands of dollars in wasted effort. By allowing design staff to completely focus on rapid concept and model development, over 20 new products were designed and prototyped within four weeks. This allowed the sales staff to make preliminary line presentations to key clients early.
Read more about Development and how we can help.
Six Sigma statistical analysis for process improvement
Problem: At a manufacturing client, Non-conformance Reports (NCRs) were being generated when they received materials that were out of specification limits. Large amounts of key engineering, quality, and operations resources were being used resolve and implement the disposition of these out-of-spec materials. The results was that it diverted these critical resources from value-added work. Management needed to get control of the sources of the problems and identify potential solutions.
Approach: The process was mapped and the relevant data was extracted from a vast QA database. Standard Six Sigma statistical analysis tools were used to identify useful patterns in performance for those parts of the process that were owned and controlled by the client.
Results: Problematic product categories and failure modes were prioritized and the Subject Matter Expert (SME) resources required for their resolution were quantified. The data clearly showed that subset of the SME pool carried the bulk of the load and that two of the SMEs clearly had mastery over best practices. By using best practices and leveling, the load across all SMEs could reduce the lead time for NCR resolution to 10–20% of historic levels.
Read more about Business Analytics and how we can help.
Use our tools to fast-track SBIR proposals
Problem: A small electronic sensors manufacturer needed to develop a half dozen different SBIR grant proposals for submission to multiple funding agencies. The staff was small and inexperienced in writing grants and the deadline for submission was a month away.
Approach: Organizing the proposals as concurrent, parallel development projects with similar task elements allowed the use of basic concurrent project management tools. This clarified the ownership, status and tracking of the dozens of efforts that were moving toward a common goal. Project coordination, storyboards, boilerplate development, and editing were handled by Concurrent PD. Technical content was provided by the client’s staff experts.
Results: In the client’s words, “Pete was the right choice. He immediately provided his vision of how we would be successful, created a clear plan for us to follow, guided content development and integration, edited the final proposals, and delivered the final edited/formatted content on schedule. Pete made the nearly impossible possible, and his vision was easy to rally behind, such that the exercise turned into a great team-building event.”
Read more about Development and Execution and how we can help.
Lead the industry and develop internal product safety standards
Problem: A consumer goods manufacturer was being pressured by key retailers to show that the materials in their products were safe for users. No federal, state or local requirements for safety in their product category had been developed. Regardless, the manufacturer wanted to provide that assurance, both to users and retailers.
Approach: Using European safety standards for somewhat similar product categories, internal product design guidelines and safety standards were established. Suppliers were integrated into the process and compliance was verified through independent third party testing.
Results: By realigning design methods to internal safety standards that were based on the stringent requirements used in Europe, the manufacturer was able to provide retailers and end users with the hard data and information they needed to feel secure. This was achieved well before any of the competition, allowing the company to take a leadership role in the development of product safety requirements in their industry.
Read more about Development and how we can help.
Prove the investment with financial business case analysis
Problem: A small manufacturer was developing a new product line. The potential of the new line could easily dwarf the existing business. The company needed additional funds for development and working capital, but investors weren’t confident in their estimates.
Approach: The existing financial model needed tuning. Min-Likely-Max sales modeling was used to improve the quality and believability of the sales estimates. Inventory costs were linked to sales timing and adjusted for vendor lead times and order quantities to clarify cash flow requirements. Standard financial metrics, including NPV, IRR, GMROI and break-even point were integrated and sensitivity factors were added to simplify scenario analysis.
Results: TBD. This project is still in play today!
Read more about Metrics and how we can help.
Get clear guidance with Common Cause Analysis
Problem: The Director of Marketing at a branded products company was experiencing a rash of costly and embarrassing mistakes in the development and execution of product packaging. Within the last year, mistakes had been made on sixteen different projects, with costs of rework ranging between $1k and $35k per project. Guidance was needed to quickly identify where to put the focus to get things back on track.
Approach: Common Cause Analysis was used to map and prioritize the different contributory causes that collectively resulted in projects being problematic. In all, nine types of problems and fifteen independent causes were identified. As many as seven different causes were found to contribute to a specific problem’s occurrence.
Results: In the span of less than a day, the necessary data was developed, analysis completed and recommendations presented. Clear guidance was given on the steps needed for improvement. The president of the company was so impressed with the speed of the analysis and usability of the results that he suggested that Common Cause Analysis be used by middle managers across the company.
Read more about Metrics and how we can help.
