Showing papers in "IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management in 1973"

The increase in efficiency with size of research teams

Abstract: The result of an earlier investigation, that the efficiency of research teams increases with team size, has been verified by extending the investigation to further samples. The increase is exponential with team size and amounts to about a threefold increase in productivity per team member as the team is increased from 1 to 50 members. No optimum team size was found. Of two possible reasons for the increased efficiency of large teams, improved research environment (better service, better equipment, improved contacts with team members) and personal factors (improved selection of productive members) both have about equal weight. A preliminary study suggests that very productive team members' influence on other members is the dominating factor in the research environment; that is, that research effectiveness is induced by productive team leaders.

A review of R&D evaluation methods

Abstract: R&D evaluation methods and associated techniques are briefly reviewed. First, the use of checklists-ranging from a simple list of elements to a catalogue of profiles, or information patterns-is investigated. Then, some of the difficulties of interpretation and application of the deceptively simple index method-including consideration of the Olsen, Pacifico, Teal, and Disman formulas-are examined. This method is approached also from the return on original investment (ROOI) viewpoint and, by this means, several intriguing and unifying relationships, and certain new R&D indices are derived. Following a look at some indices of different type, some miscellaneous methods-including risk analysis, credibility forecast, decision tree, impact analysis, and one or two other techniques-are touched upon.

A dynamic model of some multistage aspects of research and development portfolios

Abstract: Many models of research and development (R&D) projects do not consider the intermediate outcomes and decisions that may be foreseen to arise during their evolution through the technical and commercial stages. Consideration of the sequential aspects of allocating scarce resources to a set of projects may make a great difference to the solution of the problem in terms of the optimum subset of projects to work on in the immediate future. The solution of this problem is important to R&D management. An approach is described based on the application of a stochastic linear-programming formulation to a portfolio of projects, each planned using a form of the decision-tree structure called a `project tree.' A series of elementary examples are presented as a means of gaining insight into the method. The general formulation is then presented in detail and applied to a small problem.

Some characteristics of successful technical entrepreneurs in Canada

Abstract: The findings of a study made of 39 successful entrepreneurs involved in the establishment of one or more technologically based enterprises in the secondary manufacturing sector in Canada are presented. Most of these enterprises are small, with a present annual sales volume of less than one million dollars. A major purpose of the study was to examine the social and economic background of the entrepreneurs, the nature of the companies they started or with which they were involved, and their perception of the environment for entrepreneurship in Canada. Special emphasis is given to comparing Canadian-born with non-Canadian-born entrepreneurs. Where feasible, the findings of this study are compared with comparable studies conducted in the United States.

The effectiveness of different power styles of project managers in gaining project support

Abstract: The results of a field study identify the leadership style that may optimize project performance in a project-oriented environment. The relationships of a project manager's leadership style to the degree of support he receives from project personnel is examined and related to project performance and effectiveness as judged by general management. The findings may help the professional manager in the field of project management to identify what type of leadership style optimizes the project performance. The paper concludes that work challenge and expertise as intrinsic motivation factors appear to be the most important influence methods for establishing a climate of high support, while authority and penalty methods appear to hinder the development of such a climate.

Journal review

Abstract: A journal for practicing R&D managers and project leaders, as well as management scientists and researchers, examining all aspects of the management of research and development.

The use of dynamic programming techniques for determining resource allocations among R/D projects: An example

Abstract: An example of the use of dynamic programming for R/D resource allocation in the aerospace industry is described. Procedures for developing the required input data are described, and a quantitative comparison is made of the effectiveness of resource allocation by dynamic programming vis-a-vis a conventional method. It is shown that dynamic programming can result in significant improvements in program effectiveness.

An analytical methodology for comparing the suitability of management science models

Abstract: It is generally recognized that practicing managers plan and take decisions by considering a few `key' factors in a given situation. However, this process of simplification can result in many different `decision models' and the question arises: which model is an `adequate and sufficient' representation of reality for the decision problem in hand. A methodology for comparing alternative mathematical models of a given strategic-planning problem, involving a well-defined interaction between the manager and the management scientist is presented. To illustrate, a specific problem of resource allocation in an applied research and development laboratory is defined, and the approach is illustrated using data from an industrial case study.

An industrial dynamics model for start-up management

Abstract: Efficient start-up management can result in considerable productivity increases compared to improvements possible in `steady-state' activities. Provided adequate targets are set and updated in accordance with realistic productivity expectation, management can interact rapidly in order to achieve optimum performance. Such a management process is dependent on the availability of suitable methods of predicting future productivity and estimating present productivity in the presence of random fluctuation due to many causes. This paper develops a predictive start-up model which performs both these functions. At each observation time, observed productivity is compared with predicted productivity as estimated from previous data, the difference being used to update the model parameters in a manner analogous to exponential smoothing. The model is applied to a number of start-up problems and is shown to track the parameters in an acceptable fashion. Long- and short-term productivity predictions resulting from the model are shown to be a useful management aid.

Comments on “performance control in government R&D projects: The measurable effects of performing required management and engineering techniques”

Abstract: A large number and variety of management and engineering techniques (such as PERT, value engineering, and configuration management) have been implemented over the past decade to improve the technical, cost, and schedule performance of government-sponsored RD and 2) the application of a large volume and variety of management control techniques to R&D projects tends to be associated with greater numbers of technical, schedule, and cost failures than were associated with projects not having such control.

A new perspective on the intersectoral movement of new technology

Abstract: How does technology originally created to meet the needs of one socioeconomic sector find application in an entirely different sector? In answering this question, a basis for interpreting and formulating federal policy related to the secondary utilization of publicly owned technology, has been provided. A model for explaining the intersectoral movement of new technology via two different and distinctive mechanisms-diffusion and transfer-is developed and then illustrated in this paper by case studies. This perspective builds on widely accepted views and unmasks the institutional characteristics which are the controlling influences for these mechanisms.

A modified Delphi method of solving business problems

Abstract: A class of managerial problems which involves forecasting, developing new solutions, and maintaining harmony among individuals or groups affected by the solution is discussed. This type of problem is thought to occur frequently in organizations. A structure for solving such problems is proposed which is based upon combining the Delphi method of forecasting and the morphological method of inventing. The case history of the development of a college curriculum is cited as an example of successful use of the new method.

A survey of behavioral science contributions to laboratory management

Abstract: The results of a survey of the behavioral science literature pertinent to the performance of scientists and engineers are presented. The manager desiring to make use of existing behavioral science findings to achieve specific results within his organization is provided with a guide to those items in the literature which provide relevant information.

Requirements of an economic approach to maintenance

Abstract: The concept of applying basic economic principles to minimize the life-cycle cost of product or system development is outlined. The costs and benefits of alternative programs during the design phase are considered and the economic impact of reliability, maintainability, and availability is included. The activities necessary to maintain a finished system are then considered and an approach for maximizing the return on the maintenance investment is outlined. The paper concludes with general comments on system deployment and some organizational considerations.

Toward the implementation of R&D resource allocation models

Abstract: The allocation of organization resources to the R&D function remains one of the most complex and least rational decision processes of management The purpose of this note is to examine the process and the implied attributes required of formal prescriptive models which will improve the process Characteristics of the allocation problem are discussed briefly This provides a rationale for listing those attributes which formal models should exhibit in order to contribute meaningfully to the rationality of the allocation process

Technical and management notes: An approach toward improving the creative output of scientific task teams

Abstract: Administration of an innovative task team today requires a capability to integrate not only the interrelated technical disciplines but also the relationships of the individual members as well. The team leader needs a tool to measure and characterize the members so that he can predict their interactions and structure his task teams accordingly. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test, which places individuals in a scheme of personality types as established by the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, was used effectively in a scientific task-team management situation. Jung theorized that such apparently random variations in human behavior is actually orderly and consistent and reflects certain basic differences in the way people prefer to use perception and judgement in a given situation.

Correlates of success on customer-initiated R&D projects

Abstract: Thirty-nine customer-initiated R&D projects were studied from the standpoint of those involved-salesmen, product engineers, R&D management, and R&D technical personnel. The technical and time success of the projects were correlated with six project dimensions as perceived by the R&D person working on the project, with participation and knowledge of product variables derived from management theory and with different communication patterns under differing conditions of project complexity. The results showed R&D perceptions of project priority and urgency to be correlated with time success and R&D perceptions of potential profitability to be correlated with technical success. The participation and knowledge of product variables showed no relation to project success.

Research abstracts: Technological forecasting for decisionmaking

Abstract: This Research Abstract describes a recently published book on technological forecasting. It includes an abbreviated version of the Preface of the book, and the Table of Contents.

A cost relevance tree procedure for allocating development expenditure

Abstract: A new quantitative systematic procedure, called a cost relevance tree, for group objective evaluation of development projects for their eventual cost-reduction effectiveness in a given segment of a business is described. The procedure is applied to the construction, repair, and rearrangement of Bell System underground (conduit) plant. This systematic procedure quantifies recent and applicable costs, projects these costs into the future, and finally provides a format of development project program rankings where future underground plant innovations can be identified and evaluated. This procedure is an extension of Honeywell's PATTERN technique attempting to add some economic dimension without undue complexity to the relative value of development projects. While similar to the Delphi method in the use of expert evaluation, attempts to achieve its controlled, but time-consuming, independent thinking were not made. Resultant data deficiencies plus a lack of benefit-cost analysis and the uncertainties of future projections are compensated by a sensitivity analysis. This analysis also shows the effect of input data uncertainty on project ranking.

A linear programming approach to scheduling nuclear isotope production

Abstract: The design, implementation, and use of a model for scheduling the production of nuclear isotopes is presented. The model is formulated as a multiple-period linear-programming (LP) problem with several classes of product-demand, inventory, and production-level constraints. An important feature of the model is its role in managing in-process inventories over the extended period of time required for the production of certain isotopes. Considerable discussion is given to practical issues surrounding the model implementation and the model's many production and marketing applications.