Revolutionizing Product Development: Quantum Leaps in Speed, Efficiency and Quality

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Excellent book, it describes the management principles for the whole new product development (NPD) process. The graphical frameworks provide a valuable synthesis of knowledge. The practical examples are the right complement to their conceptual postulates. The book is highly advisable for all actors involved in the NPD process. However, it must be a "compulsory" reading for general managers and executives within manufacturing plants, because of its strategic orientation.Specially delicious are the chapters about aggregate project plans (Ch. 4) and Structuring the Development funnel (Ch.5). They contain the basic principles to halt those managers that want to tackle all the projects with the same limited resources.The only gap in the book is the unclear link between the "pre-project" stages of the development (Development goals and objectives, and Aggregate project plan), and the project management phase. The authors fail to clearly establish where the project leader and teams joint into the development. More specifically, project definition is missed on exhibit 2-11.

This book, written in 1992, started a whole revolution in looking at the management of product development. Concepts like: the funnel to focus the organization on the right projects, an aggregate project plan, and the best two pages on project management that I have ever read are in this book. If you are planning to change your new product processes, this book is a necessity. Steven Wheelwright is a genius and you can read his brillance in this book.