Proposal of Systematized New Product Development Process as a Lifecycle System

Abstract

This paper discusses and proposes a systematized product development process based on an idea that product life is made of six structurally very similar engineering effort sub-cycles. The new product development process is a major part of multiple sub-cycles within the total product life. The development program starts from the initial idea stage and extends to the ending stage at the discontinuation of product support. At the early stage of this study, the original task node diagram was viewed as a large network diagram of approximately 1,000 nodes requiring the equivalent of 30 feet of connected letter-size paper. For the purpose of illustration, this continuous paper was coiled on to a spiral surface with the proper diameter to line-up the starting points of six sub-cycles, namely : Idea, Breadboard, Prototype, Pre-production, Manufacturing and Product maintenance. In many cases of product development, contract programs may cover only two to three sub-cycles each, such as the Bread-board, Prototype and Pre-production sub-cycles. Each of these six sub-cycles resembles one another with a nearly similar pattern. In general, the total of the smallest task stages observed within one sub-cycle was 18. Three task stages were grouped together to make six groups in one cycle. On one sheet of 8 1/2×11-in. paper, these three stages were shown together. Six pages hold one sub-cycle, and a total of six sub-cycles covers a complete product lifecycle totaling 36 sheets. In this proposal, several applications and evaluations of the concept are discussed. The discussions include : Node diagrams to serve as program status reporting media, progress control indicator, inter-departmental communication tool, accurate budgeting and cost estimating tool, and program control tool for multiple parallel product development operations.