The challenge
- Shorter life cycles, demand for greater product variety, and raw-material and compliance issues kept challenging the new product development (NPD) team.
- The team was contending with voice-of-the-customer, project control and process integration issues and wanted more structure and discipline in its NPD process.
How IRDG was involved
- The team participated in IRDG's four-day lean product development (LPD) programme.
- It drew on the LPD approach and tools to design its own planning and execution process rather than adopting a standard one.
What the account reports
- A business brief was adopted, gathering the cross-functional information needed to understand an opportunity and making ownership clear; briefs are reviewed at monthly management meetings and only approved projects move to execution.
- A hybrid approach to managing projects: a standard checklist for smaller projects and project boards for larger ones.
- The account reports better commercial decisions earlier in development, resources targeted at more strategic projects, and improved communication across functions. No figures are given.