2008 Volume 7 Pages 1-18
In this article, we focus on the firmware development process that has recently become larger and more complex in the context of digitalization. From a case study involving the development of the firmware for a digital multifunction peripheral (MFP), the firmware architecture have changed alongside the change in organizational structure. As a result, some suggestions are made for the generation and selection process of a product architecture suitable for multi-functionalization, as well as for the ideal form of interdepartmental coordination in an organization. Moreover, the limits of the existing arguments about the development of product architecture are revealed and a new viewpoint is proposed to investigate the dynamics of product architecture.