|
New Product Development Tools |
|
Page 6 of 7
Summary
Excellence in the design of new products and services may be approached using statistical methodologies such as Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), which attempts to eliminate defects to a very low level i.e. less than 4 defects per million opportunities. The central focus of DFSS involves predicting design quality before manufacture, and to drive quality measurements/predictability through the early design stages of development in particular. In essence DFSS is an enhanced new product development process which provides a structured way to manage deliverables, resources and trade-offs. The introduction of DFSS into an organisation may involve cultural changes particularly within its product design groups.
Some of the main reasons that DFSS has been introduced into organisations are as:
- A growth strategy through producing more competitive products;
- A means of further cementing partnerships with customers;
- A means to introduce value in all aspects of an organisation's operations from its suppliers through to the product delivery; and
- A means of enabling design groups to become accountable for their products from conception through to completion.
Other methodologies that are often used alongside DFSS, or independently, for new product development work include the Stage–Gate process, Target Costing, and New Product Development Teams. The stage-gate process is a formalised system used for the assessment of financial and technical risks associated with progressive stages in the development on new products and services. Target costing methodologies seek to mesh a new product’s features and benefits, with a viable market price, whilst at the same time achieving the organisation's profitability. Finally, new product development teams can have a positive effect upon product quality. The team's composition and its ability to communicate have a strong influence upon the quality of the designs and products produced goals
|
Home 
Management Brief Reports