Showing papers in "IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management in 2000"
TL;DR: This paper applies the construct of task uncertainty to study relationships between product development project characteristics and project outcomes, hypothesizing that technology novelty and project complexity characteristics contribute to project task uncertainty and are associated with project execution outcomes.
Abstract: This paper applies the construct of task uncertainty to study relationships between product development project characteristics and project outcomes. The authors characterize product development projects in terms of their technology novelty and project complexity levels. This characterization is based on product development literature and organizational information processing theory. They hypothesize that technology novelty and project complexity characteristics contribute to project task uncertainty and are in turn associated with project execution outcomes. A cross-sectional survey of 120 new product development projects for assembled goods was employed to test relationships between project characteristics and project success. Success measures include achievement of individual project goals, such as technical performance, unit-cost, time-to-market and overall achievement of project goals.
597 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the critical practices impacting a new product team's ability to learn and succeed, and investigate the practices of 281 new product teams from around the world.
Abstract: This paper explores the critical practices impacting a new product team's ability to learn and succeed. By investigating the practices of 281 new product teams from around the world, several factors emerged that impact a team's ability to acquire and use knowledge to reduce cycle time and improve their probability of success. The significant factors include: (1) documentation of project information, (2) storage and retrieval systems for project information, (3) information reviewing practices, (4) vision clarity, (5) vision stability, and (6) management support of the project.
229 citations
TL;DR: Results suggest that certain beliefs do play a central role in determining acceptance behavior, and point to external factors such as organizational tenure, prior technical knowledge, training experiences, and perceived job insecurity that have significant effects on these beliefs.
Abstract: With spiraling demand for applications software, the adoption of software development process innovations by systems developers represents a problem of considerable magnitude confronting information systems managers. We report the results of a study focused on the issue of facilitating the movement of experienced COBOL programmers to become users of the C programming language. The study, conducted at a major financial services firm, is based upon a behavioral model of the acceptance of innovations that derives its foundations from research in social psychology, information technology acceptance, and innovation adoption. The model posits a relationship between beliefs about a target new technology and the subsequent adoption of the technology. Beliefs, in turn, are hypothesized to be influenced by a variety of external factors such as training and individual characteristics. Results suggest that certain beliefs do play a central role in determining acceptance behavior. Results also point to external factors such as organizational tenure, prior technical knowledge, training experiences, and perceived job insecurity that have significant effects on these beliefs. Theoretical and practical implications that follow are discussed.
191 citations
TL;DR: Division and assignment of resources, prioritization, and customized management style, which have little relevance in relation to single projects, are shown to play a major role in the success of multiproject management.
Abstract: Business trends require front-line managers to integrate multiproject concepts with those of traditional single-project management since very rarely can one find major organizations managing just one project. A typical situation entails a limited pool of resources which is applied to the management of several projects, with people moving back and forth among different assignments in different projects. Yet, few studies on project management have started to explore the issue of how to manage an organization with multiple inter- or intradepartmental projects. Using a case study method, our exploratory research investigates the specific problems associated with the management of multiple engineering projects in a manufacturing support environment, with the intent to identify common factors of success. Knowing the factors of success is but the first step toward improving multi-project management. Our findings provide insight into how the most important multiple-project success factors in this environment differ from factors of success in traditional single-project management, and are consistent with other emerging research in product development environments. The differences center on resource allocation and flexibility. Some factors, such as ownership, staff experience, and communication, take on additional dimensions when considered in a multiple-versus a single-project environment. Division and assignment of resources, prioritization, and customized management style, which have little relevance in relation to single projects, are shown to play a major role in the success of multiproject management.
165 citations
TL;DR: Although firms need radical and/or incremental product and process innovation capabilities to compete successfully, they are likely to have core capabilities which are either product focused or process focused.
Abstract: Relationships between types of innovative capabilities of firms, the amount and nature of technical alliance usage, and the extent and types of problems associated with those alliances are explored with firms in the semiconductor industry. Results show that, although firms need radical and/or incremental product and process innovation capabilities to compete successfully, they are likely to have core capabilities which are either product focused or process focused. Firms can reconcile radical and incremental R&D cultures, but find it more difficult to bridge the product-versus-process divide. Firms with strong capabilities are found to engage in more technical alliances. This is particularly true of firms with radical innovation capabilities. The study also finds that firms engage in technical alliances more often to supplement rather than complement their capabilities. Firms experience more problems in acquiring product innovation capabilities through alliances meant for new technology development than they do in acquiring process innovation capabilities.
153 citations
TL;DR: The authors evaluate the relationship that exists between total quality management (TQM) and environmentally responsible manufacturing (ERM) systems using a large-scale survey of plant managers as the data source and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling as the statistical tools.
Abstract: This paper explicitly examines the relationship that exists between total quality management (TQM) and environmentally responsible manufacturing (ERM) systems. It has been presumed in numerous past studies that such a relationship does exist. It has been argued that those firms that have successfully implemented a TQM system are better positioned to successfully implement an ERM system. This relationship, however, has not yet been statistically and empirically evaluated. In this study, the authors evaluate this relationship using a large-scale survey of plant managers as the data source and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling as the statistical tools. The study develops a series of measures for various aspects of both TQM and ERM. The results show that there is indeed a strong relationship between TQM and ERM. In many ways, ERM is conditioned by the presence of TQM. Furthermore, ERM systems have a parallel structure when compared to TQM systems.
147 citations
TL;DR: This study examines the tradeoff between product performance and time to market, focusing on the effect of overlapping stages during which marketing, design, and manufacturing engineering are jointly working on performance improvement.
Abstract: Windows of opportunity and product life cycles have been shortening, placing pressure on firms to stay competitive. Many firms have responded to this pressure by setting goals of reducing new product development (NPD) cycle time and/or improving product performance, often by setting up fuzzy gates between stages, cross-functional teams, or both. This study examines the tradeoff between product performance and time to market, focusing on the effect of overlapping stages during which marketing, design, and manufacturing engineering are jointly working on performance improvement, An NPD process model comprising a design stage, a process stage, and an intermediary overlap stage representing the interaction between design and process personnel is developed. Key findings include the following. (1) Overlapping stages reduces time to market, but the marginal returns to lengthening the overlap stage yield progressively smaller improvements in time to market. (2) The longer the market window is open, the less is the pressure to rush the product to market, and product performance can be further improved by leaving the product longer in development. (3) It is better to keep the product longer in development rather than accelerate time to market if the base product performance is low. (4) If the productivity of the overlap stage is increased, it is more profitable to keep the product in development longer and boost product performance at launch than to rush the product to market quicker. (5) The greater the market power the firm possesses, the faster it should bring the product to market, as long as product performance and sustainability of market power are not substantially reduced. A set of propositions is derived from the model, and is tested in a small-scale empirical study on firms in the automobile and automotive supply industry. The results are largely supportive of the propositions. Management implications and recommendations for further research are presented.
136 citations
TL;DR: The findings of this study suggest that the technological performance of inventors defined by the number and quality of filed patents is highly concentrated, and in particular, a very small group of key inventors is responsible for the major part of the company's technological performance, and thus for theCompany's competitiveness.
Abstract: From theoretical work, as well as from empirical findings on the distribution of scientific performance, we can deduce that there are also great variations in the output of industrial research and development personnel. By analyzing the patenting output from research and development personnel, we are able to measure their technological performance. The inventor portfolio provides a method to measure and identify key inventors. Key inventors are characterized by a large number of patent applications which are of high quality. This paper presents the results from an empirical study that analyzes the distribution of the patenting output of inventors working in the chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering industry in 43 German companies. The findings of this study suggest that the technological performance of inventors defined by the number and quality of filed patents is highly concentrated. In particular, a very small group of key inventors is responsible for the major part of the company's technological performance, and thus for the company's competitiveness. These findings, in turn, have major practical implications for human resource management in industrial R&D departments.
131 citations
TL;DR: The results show that individual characteristics, perception of group characteristics and company characteristics are significantly related to OT adoption, but the individual's perception of the technology is not, and the factors that top management need to focus on in order to facilitate new technology adoption in firms are suggested.
Abstract: This study examines the adoption of new technologies within organizations, The significance of this research is to broaden the understanding of technology adoption within organizations by focusing on adoption at the individual level, The key research question that is examined is: "what factors contribute to the adoption of new technology by individuals within firms?" A model is presented to distinguish adopters from nonadopters based on four sets of constructs: (1) the characteristics of the individual; (2) individual's perception of group characteristics; (3) individual's perception of company characteristics; and (4) individual's perception of technology. Unlike previous studies that focus only on top management in firms, this study examines adoption at the level of middle managers, engineers and technical personnel, i.e., those individuals who are more likely to actually use this technology in the workplace. The study links previously studied elements of adoption and diffusion of innovations to the specific case of a relatively recent innovation for organizations, As an example, an empirical examination of adoption of object-oriented technology (OT) in software companies is conducted. This technology is a software development technique that uses pretested and routine methods or "objects" to design, construct and assemble software programs. It is a new way of thinking about software based on abstraction that exists in the real world. The results of this study show that individual characteristics, perception of group characteristics and company characteristics are significantly related to OT adoption, but the individual's perception of the technology is not. The proposed model predicts adopters of new technology, such as OT, with 86% accuracy, The results suggest the factors that top management need to focus on in order to facilitate new technology adoption in firms.
130 citations
TL;DR: The authors examine the problem of selecting a model for an individual-based representation of learning within a population of learners and conclude that a three-parameter hyperbolic function outperforms the other models for this application.
Abstract: The authors examine the problem of selecting a model for an individual-based representation of learning within a population of learners. Individual-based representations can be used to create distributions of learning patterns in the workplace. This is an alternate theoretical view of learning in organizations whereby performance is a unique attribute of each individual within the organization. Several published learning curve models are fitted to 3874 episodes of individual performance improvement. They conclude that a three-parameter hyperbolic function outperforms the other models for this application. This approach provides managers with: (1) distributions of between-worker variability with respect to rate of learning, prior learning, and steady-state production rates; (2) a quantitative measure of workforce learning that can provide information useful for workforce task-assignments; and (3) a methodological framework for selecting a most preferred individual model such that workforce distributions may be constructed and provide such information. Results indicate that workers perform in a region between the two extremes of fast improvement to a low level of productivity and slow improvement to a high level of productivity. Also, workers with more prior experience tend to have a higher steady-state productivity level.
118 citations
TL;DR: This paper develops a system for the project selection using fuzzy logic, which enables us to emulate the human reasoning process and make decisions based on vague or imprecise data based on uncertainty reduction.
Abstract: When making decisions we need to consider the possible alternatives and then choose the optimal alternative. The uncertainty of subjective judgment is present during this selection process. Also, decision making becomes difficult when the available information is incomplete or imprecise. This kind of problem exists while selecting a project. There are also several critical factors that are involved in the selection process, including market conditions, availability of raw materials, etc. The decision mechanism is constrained by the uncertainty inherent in the determination of the relative importance of each attribute element. In this paper, me develop a system for the project selection using fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic enables us to emulate the human reasoning process and make decisions based on vague or imprecise data. Our approach is based on uncertainty reduction. The optimal alternative is formed by the relative weights of each attribute's elements combined over all the attribute membership functions. We also do a case study for the selection of software packages. Our system could be easily applied to other project selection problems under uncertainty.
TL;DR: The linkages between nonstructured factors in an organization's context and dimensions of innovation adoption in organizations are examined and it is found that organization size and geographic scope have a stronger association with magnitude than the speed of adoption.
Abstract: This study examines the linkages between nonstructured factors in an organization's context and dimensions of innovation adoption in organizations. Elements of an organization's context included in this study are size, geographic scope, and product scope; dimensions of innovation are magnitude and speed of adoption and product and process types of innovation. The relationships among these variables are examined by a sampling of empirical data culled from 101 commercial banks in four states: New York; New Jersey; Connecticut; and Massachusetts. We found that: (1) organization size and geographic scope have a stronger association with magnitude than the speed of adoption, while product scope is more strongly linked to the speed of adoption; (2) geographic and product scope influence the propensity to adopt product and process innovations differently; and (3) the pattern of innovation adoption differs among various types of banks.
TL;DR: The potential for SD and NPD to learn from each other by addressing several important product development challenges is established by deriving significant cross-domain lessons in three areas, namely, teamwork management, development process maturity, and development process acceleration.
Abstract: Software development (SD) and new product development (NPD) share several similarities. However, scholars in the two fields have generally focused on different aspects of "development." Specifically, the SD literature emphasizes development methodologies, techniques, and process metrics, while the NPD studies typically focus on organizational factors like teamwork, cross-functional integration, internal/external communication in teams, performance, processes, and project leadership. Further, there has been a limited exchange of ideas and research findings between the two domains. This paper establishes the potential for SD and NPD to learn from each other by addressing several important product development challenges. Specifically, we demonstrate this potential by deriving significant cross-domain lessons in three areas, namely, teamwork management, development process maturity, and development process acceleration.
TL;DR: This paper develops a strategic approach to warranty management where warranty-related decisions are made in a framework encompassing the product life cycle and from a business perspective which links technical and commercial issues.
Abstract: The role of warranty has become increasingly important, both as a promotional (particularly where competing products are nearly indistinguishable) and as a protectional device (for complex and expensive products where customers need some assurance). Offering warranty implies additional cost to the manufacturer over the period from product launch to obsolescence. This cost is influenced by technical decisions made prior to the launch. This paper develops a strategic approach to warranty management where warranty-related decisions are made in a framework encompassing the product life cycle and from a business perspective which links technical and commercial issues.
TL;DR: Based on established behavioral theories, the authors develop and test a model that can explain, and hence predict, the extent of use of development methods, and apply it to software development.
Abstract: In this research, the authors examine factors affecting the use of product development methods. Based on established behavioral theories, they develop and test a model that can explain, and hence predict, the extent of use of development methods. Although their model can be adapted to any development process, they apply it to software development. To test their model, they examine the combined effects of a number of important usage factors that contribute to the depth and breadth of use of two software development approaches: the waterfall model and prototyping. Two main constructs, process quality and facilitating conditions, are found to be the drivers of method usage. The dominating "facilitating conditions" and "process quality" indicators vary from one method to another product quality was not found to be a statistically significant factor in explaining usage. The authors' results are consistent with the view taken by the software process improvement movement, i.e., that a quality process will result in a quality product.
TL;DR: The results of a bilateral comparative field study in Brazil and the United States show that in spite of considerable social and cultural differences between two international operating environments, successful integration of multinational projects may not require fundamentally different management approaches.
Abstract: This paper examines the managerial issues involved in executing technology-based projects that span international borders. The results of a bilateral comparative field study, conducted in Brazil and the United States, show that in spite of considerable social and cultural differences between two international operating environments, successful integration of multinational projects may not require fundamentally different management approaches. This, however, does require strong senior management support and efforts in developing effective organizational linkages and alliances. Managers must need to have focus on cross-boundary relationships and fine-tune their people skills to deal effectively with complex forms of negotiations, delegations, and commitments in systems which are often weak on formal command and control.
TL;DR: The preliminary results from a research project on the changing position of women engineers worldwide are presented and a number of hypotheses to explain the data are proposed, and further investigations and additional data requirements are identified.
Abstract: The preliminary results from a research project on the changing position of women engineers worldwide are presented and discussed. These results include data on women engineers in a number of different countries for the period 1960-1997. They were obtained from a survey of 130 engineering institutions in 55 different countries. As an introduction to the presentation of these results, some of the problems facing women engineers in industry and education are considered. The data are discussed in detail; a number of hypotheses to explain the data are proposed, and further investigations and additional data requirements to allow these hypotheses to be verified or disproved are identified. These hypotheses include increases in the percentage of women engineers resulting from the effects of changes in the political system, convergence of the images of women and engineers, and generally good conditions for women and their involvement in public life.
TL;DR: A framework for supplier evaluation is developed based on whether the supplier evaluation focuses on information from product- or process-based domains and whether the information acquisition mode used is direct or indirect.
Abstract: Despite the increase in use of supplier evaluation, there is still very limited examination of the supplier evaluation process. Most of the discussion that is in the literature treats information about suppliers as factual, technical information without regard for the social and organizational biases involved in generating this information. This paper presents a framework for examining the process of supplier evaluation based on our research and observations. A framework for supplier evaluation is developed based on whether the supplier evaluation focuses on information from product- or process-based domains and whether the information acquisition mode used is direct or indirect. A critical examination of these four approaches to supplier evaluation is presented. In doing so, various advantages and limitations related to each approach are identified. Furthermore, the relationship between the evaluation approach and organizational realities are discussed. Finally, the need for an integrated mechanism within organizations to deal with supplier information is identified.
TL;DR: Evidence that some types of social networks influence implementation success more than others is presented, and interfirm networks composed of both suppliers and competitors were significantly correlated with the routinization and incorporation of alternative technical solutions to reducing ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons.
Abstract: A study of 83 firms in the North American electronics industry that have implemented environmentally "clean" process technology found that social networks have a significant positive impact on implementation success. This paper presents evidence that some types of social networks influence implementation success more than others. More specifically, interfirm networks composed of both suppliers and competitors were significantly correlated with the routinization and incorporation of alternative technical solutions to reducing ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This only held in situations where the complexity of the implementation was relatively high. Intrafirm and local social networks were not significant. The utilization of a network of publicly accessible sources of information and expertise had a negative impact. Brief case studies from field research are provided to help explain these results.
TL;DR: The authors use Allen's theory of temporal intervals in their model to enhance the decision-making, timing, and routing activities in a workflow application and test the model using information from a "real-world" engineering design situation.
Abstract: Workflow management, which is concerned with the coordination and control of business processes using information technology, has grown from its origins in document routing to include the automation of process logic in business process reengineering. Workflow also has a strong temporal aspect; activity sequencing, deadlines, routing conditions, and scheduling all involve the element of time. Temporal expert systems, which use knowledge-based constructs to represent and reason about time, can be used to enhance the capabilities of workflow software. This paper presents a temporal expert system workflow component for tracking engineering design changes. The authors use Allen's theory of temporal intervals in their model to enhance the decision-making, timing, and routing activities in a workflow application. They test the model using information from a "real-world" engineering design situation and suggest further research opportunities.
TL;DR: U-shaped lines outperform straight lines in all of the aspects of quality they examined, according to Juran's quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement categories.
Abstract: Straight lines and U-lines are two commonly used layouts for production lines. To date, no research has studied the effect of these layouts on the quality of the products produced by the line. This paper examines U-shaped lines and straight lines from the viewpoint of their effect on quality, which is organized into Juran's quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement categories. Two or more quantitative measures are developed for each quality category, the effect of the shape of the line on the values of these measures is carefully analyzed, and the implications for problems of realistic size are discussed. The authors find that U-shaped lines outperform straight lines in all of the aspects of quality they examined.
TL;DR: A methodology for organizational product and process innovation based on SSM theory incorporating quality function deployment (QFD) and IDEF0 (integrated definition functional modelling tool) techniques is proposed.
Abstract: Soft-systems methodology (SSM) has been recommended as a tool for scientifically evaluating complex environments. One such environment is the development of organizational processes and products delivered by organizations. This paper proposes a methodology for organizational product and process innovation based on SSM theory incorporating quality function deployment (QFD) and IDEF0 (integrated definition functional modelling tool) techniques. The methodology relies on a series of phases that elicit information from complex and amorphous real-world practices, processes, and information, and develops models of these systems. The paper illustrates the utility of the methodology and tools using a case example: development of an organizational decision support system used to justify strategically important technologies for the enterprise.
TL;DR: There is a strong indication that effective adoption of e-mail by teleworkers as an information-rich medium could benefit distributed work and distributed organizations through enhanced work productivity.
Abstract: This study was undertaken to investigate the use of e-mail and its implications under a telework environment for distributed software engineering. For this, the relative strength between a social influence and individual attributes in affecting teleworkers' e-mail use was studied. Management support was used as the representative social influence, and age, status, and ease of use represented individual attributes. An examination was also made on how e-mail use, individual attributes, and management support affected the perceptions of e-mail's information richness and e-mail productivity. Two different types of surveys, log sheets and perception-based self-reports, as well as interviews and e-mail correspondences composed the data sources. Three hierarchical regression models were defined and tested for the hypothesis validation. Data analysis indicated that management support was a much more powerful indicator for teleworkers' media use than individual characteristics. Furthermore, although labeled as a relatively lean medium from the media richness theory perspective, e-mail could become an effective and richer communication tool through an active social construction process of management support. Finally, the management support and perception of e-mail as a rich medium were both highly influential in creating teleworkers' positive perception on e-mail productivity. This study rendered a strong indication that effective adoption of e-mail by teleworkers as an information-rich medium could benefit distributed work and distributed organizations through enhanced work productivity.
TL;DR: EQM should contribute significantly to the quality of a project end product by improving communications between the client and the project manager at its outset, by elucidating the client's needs and expectations, by providing ongoing quality assessment measures, by avoiding time-consuming and costly rework through early corrective actions, and by promoting greater quality accountability and project coordination.
Abstract: Quality is achieved to the extent that a project end product meets the client's needs and expectations. This paper addresses the fundamental issues relating to the periodic assessment and control of the quality of the end product of a project. The proposed earned quality method (EQM) enables project managers to assess and control the quality of the end product throughout the project's life cycle. EQM rests on two fundamental assumptions: (1) that quality is a measurable concept; and (2) that quality is accrued progressively throughout the project's life cycle. EQM decomposes the end product's overall quality into its main attributes and criteria and relates them to the project activities. This elucidation process of the client's needs and expectations helps both the client and the project manager to identify valid quality indicators, estimate their relative contribution to the overall quality objective, and devise acceptable assessment protocols. Using a multicriteria approach, EQM allows project managers to deal in a formal and quantitative fashion with the client's stated and implied needs. By comparing earned quality and planned quality of the work performed. EQM enables project managers to detect quality deviations and initiate early corrective actions. EQM should contribute significantly to the quality of a project end product by improving communications between the client and the project manager at its outset, by elucidating the client's needs and expectations, by providing ongoing quality assessment measures, by avoiding time-consuming and costly rework through early corrective actions, by promoting greater quality accountability and project coordination, and finally, by preventing costly legal disputes over the quality of the project end product.
TL;DR: An instrument is developed to study seven aspects of IS staff performance evaluation from IS staff and user perspectives and techniques for reaching agreement are suggested based on improving communication and understanding of common measures.
Abstract: Information systems (IS) users are being increasingly included in the evaluation of IS staff performance; however, unless there is agreement on the importance and selection of performance measures, interpretation and implementation of such evaluation is confounded. Differences in job duties and educational background between IS users and IS staff members lead us to expect differences in up-front task importance and in subsequent evaluation of IS staff job performance. An instrument is developed to study seven aspects of IS staff performance evaluation from IS staff and user perspectives. Gaps are confirmed in a study with a sample of 100 IS users and 93 IS staff members. Techniques for reaching agreement are suggested based on improving communication and understanding of common measures.
TL;DR: A model is presented which groups capital goods suppliers to the power generation and distribution, materials handling, and offshore industries into three categories: nonphysical, physical, and support processes.
Abstract: This work is based on a study of capital goods suppliers to the power generation and distribution, materials handling, and offshore industries. Business processes are project-based and interdependent. They include sales, marketing, tendering, engineering, manufacturing, procurement, assembly, and commissioning. A model is presented which groups these processes into three categories: nonphysical, physical, and support processes. Capital goods companies have dynamic and evolving structures, aggregating processes in ways which seek to exploit new and changing markets. The model provides a mechanism for describing and analyzing structures. The combination of structural, process, and operational perspectives offers a framework for the analysis of capital goods companies.
TL;DR: The results suggest that an R&D manager should not consider project selection decisions in isolation, but, following this methodology, should take into account the context of the existing portfolio.
Abstract: This paper describes a methodology for the selection of research and development (RD however, they apply it using simulation in an R&D portfolio context. They apply the methodology to the portfolios of two actual companies and find that it generates priorities very close to those developed by internal company heuristics. They conclude that this methodology can be applied appropriately in these circumstances and that its recommendations are consistent with observed decision maker behavior. Their results suggest that an R&D manager should not consider project selection decisions in isolation, but, following this methodology, should take into account the context of the existing portfolio.
TL;DR: A field study of 13 innovation projects in two Fortune 500 corporations details 51 change initiatives that the projects challenge their organizations to undertake and presents a model in which informational knowledge of what new activities are required to implement a new product must be complemented with interpretive knowledge of how those activities relate to the organization and strategy of the firm.
Abstract: Managers of canceled innovation projects may berate themselves retrospectively for not having known about downstream organizational changes earlier in the development process. The assumption that knowledge of changes can and should be captured in the early stages of product development is prevalent in both research and practice. This paper reports on a field study of 13 innovation projects in two Fortune 500 corporations. It details 51 change initiatives that the projects challenge their organizations to undertake. Findings provide insight into the difficulties of capturing knowledge of downstream organizational changes. The paper presents a model in which informational knowledge of what new activities are required to implement a new product must be complemented with interpretive knowledge of how those activities relate to the organization and strategy of the firm.
TL;DR: This paper describes one organization's successful implementation of performance metrics for mechanical and electronic design.
Abstract: Performance metrics can be effectively used by design engineering organizations, to improve competitiveness, highlight areas needing improvement, help to focus design emphasis on the customer's desires and priorities, and build teamwork between engineering and the other functions of the corporation. This paper describes one organization's successful implementation of performance metrics for mechanical and electronic design.
TL;DR: It is revealed that companies can expect competitive, operational, financial and technical benefits from client-server systems, and several important steps, activities and tasks that are positively related to those benefits are reported.
Abstract: Using a sample of 350 companies, this paper investigates the benefits of client-server systems and links them to a set of implementation factors. The paper reveals that companies can expect competitive, operational, financial and technical benefits. It reports several important steps, activities and tasks that are positively related to those benefits, including defining clear organizational objectives and strategies, re-organizing corporate data and testing multiple levels of clients and servers. Furthermore, they list some of the problems that companies may encounter during a client-server implementation. The paper is relevant to managers and academicians who want to better understand the implementation of client-server.