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Weekly Blog
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3 Principles of Lean NPD |
An Introduction
Recently, the New Product Development (NPD) literature has been packed with references to "lean". One firm reports an improvement in cycle time from one year to just over five months using lean NPD methods. But, just what exactly is lean?
Lean manufacturing generally refers to the Toyota Production system, which revolutionized the automobile industry in the 1980s and 1990s. Thorough analysis of factory lay-outs, worker/machine interfaces, time queues, and spare parts/inventory management processes led to drastically improved productivity and quality measures. Soon, we began hearing about "lean enterprises," "lean office," and now "lean new product development."
Fundamentally, lean is a philosophy that shifts from a linear sequence to an integrated approach. Lean methods are designed to remove variability from the process, yet what it takes to develop a new product is very different than what it takes to maintain ongoing activities. Therefore, lean NPD should be viewed as a subset of a lean strategy for an entire production system. And, of course, lean techniques cannot turn a bad idea into a great product with high profitability.
In this paper, we will focus on three steps to lean.
1. Customer Focus,
2. Rapid Feedback, and
3. Eliminate Waste.
Learn more.
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Greetings!
Can you believe that summer is already half over? I'm beginning to think that the "lazy days of summer" is a complete myth! I find I'm busier than ever with long days and so many opportunities to meet new people.
What are you doing this summer? Are you finding time to read about New Product Development and Portfolio Management? Is your firm working on the budget and plans for innovation in the next cycle?
My advice: Use these lazy days of summer to advance your career opportunities. Through August, we are offering a 25% discount on New Product Development Professional (NPDP) Certification prep courses. Learn more here. |
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Innovation Fun Fact | |
America's Car
On a recent vacation, I had the opportunity to tour the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, KY. It was clear that Corvette was utilizing many of the principles of lean manufacturing (see the June 2011 issue of The Village). I highly recommend the plant tour if you have  opportunity to be in Bowling Green and you can see elements of the Toyota Production System in action.
Click on the image to the right of a Corvette (courtesy of Flickr) to feel the positive energy and pride that the workers share in a product made right! (about a 6-minute video) |
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Recommended Reading | |
Atlas Shrugged
 Long considered a classic business book, this novel takes you on a personal journey through capitalism, socialism, and communism. You will find economic lessons packed into a page-turner.
This is a perfect book to read during a week-long lazy days of summer vacation: it's very long but will keep you engaged and learning while the kids frolic on the beach.
Enjoy! |
| Four Tips for Virtual NPD Teams | | |
An Introduction
Advances in networking and communications technologies, and the expansion of the global economy, have significantly changed both New Product Development (NPD) teams and the nature of innovation work throughout an enterprise. Organizations have become more distributed across geographical boundaries and across functions, divisions, and even other firms. Relationships between stakeholders inside the organization and those previously considered outside (customers, supplies, communities) are becoming more important. Most organizations have discovered the value of collaborative work through cross-functional NPD teams and thus have changed their work processes. Today, there is a new kind of work group, the "virtual team," made up of people who primarily communicate electronically via several modes (webmeetings, e-mail, social media, and others). Its members may hardly ever see each other in person. In fact, they never meet at all, except in cyberspace.
Continue Reading here.
Or download the full white paper here.Download Now |
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