Product Development

Learn proven strategies for bringing new products to market.

  • Design for Manufacturability

    • Design for Manufacturability

      Course Number: 113-RS
      Recommended Duration: 2 Days

      Intended Audience: Project leaders and project team members.

      Course Overview

      Cost Reduction, Quality Improvements, Cycle-time, and Simplification are recurring themes for staying competitive in the global marketplace. Since 80% of a product’s cost is determined early in the design and development process, it is imperative that design practices are employed which minimize the cost to produce the product. In addition, a design that is compatible with the manufacturing processes available is a design capable of achieving high levels of quality and short cycle-times. The design disciplines that have come to be known as design for manufacturability (DFM), are recognized as a critical element in simplifying the product, minimizing the product cost, and delivering high levels of quality and short cycle-times. This two day course will identify the major tools and techniques used in DFM and provide a highly interactive, hands-on environment for practicing their application. In addition to the case studies and exercises, the participants are encouraged to bring a product from their company to be used in an analysis done during class. The course will include a discussion on the implementation of DFM into your existing design process.

      Prerequisites: None

      Topics/Objectives

      • Design and manufacturing cost tradeoff
      • Implementing DFM into your design process
      • Design for manual assembly
      • Design for automated/robotic assembly
      • Parts count reduction techniques
      • Process flow analysis
      • Right-sized tolerances
      • Making the best use of your manufacturing process capability
      • Application of appropriate techniques to your product

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  • Design for Target Cost

    • Design for Target Cost

      Course Number: 108-RS
      Recommended Duration: 1 Day

      Intended Audience: Project leaders and project team members.

      Course Overview

      In order to achieve the profitability targets set for many new products, cost reduction has become a major element of the product design strategy. Design for Target Cost techniques provides the methodology for the new product development team to achieve the cost reduction. It includes techniques for determining cost allocation of the market price and explains the principles of innovative design. The course focuses on the management framework required for effective target costing efforts rather than specific design tools.

      Prerequisites: None

      Topics/Objectives

      • Market-based target costing
      • Setting cost targets
      • Prioritizing design efforts
      • Innovative/breakthrough designs

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  • Managing New Product Development Projects

    • Managing New Product Development Projects

      Course Number: 107-RS
      Recommended Duration: 2 Days

      Intended Audience: Project leaders

      Course Overview

      Manufacturing companies worldwide have recognized that their new product development process can be a competitive advantage or disadvantage. In this practical two-day course, you will learn the elements of a world class new product development process. The course will provide you with an overview of the critical tools and techniques needed by the new product development team. The course will take you through the entire product development process beginning with customer needs identification and moving to specification development and team building. The course then introduces a variety of DFX techniques including the various design considerations and the introduction of the new product to manufacturing, sales, and the customer support. The course includes the use of many checklists for different stages of product development.

      Prerequisites: Basic Project Management course or equivalent experience.

      Topics/Objectives

      • The new product development process
      • Customer needs identification and benchmarking
      • Program specification development
      • Concurrent engineering
      • Product line strategy and concept generation
      • New product project team
      • Product lifecycle and rapid prototyping
      • Design for target costing, quality and service, manufacturability, and the environment
      • Product certification
      • Manufacturing, distribution/sales, and customer introduction

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  • Poka Yoke (Design for Quality)

    • Poka Yoke (Design for Quality)

      Course Number: 110-RS
      Recommended Duration: 1 Day

      Intended Audience: Project leaders and project team members.

      Course Overview

      Poka Yoke is a set of rules and techniques designed to “mistake-proof” a process or product. When used in conjunction with appropriate inspection methodologies, Poka Yoke has resulted in substantial improvements to quality and to cycle time. Developed at Toyota, Poka Yoke has been successfully applied to assembly operations, administrative processes, fabrication, machine set up, and many other manufacturing processes. The ultimate goal of Poka Yoke is to eliminate defects in a process or product. It is based on two primary principles: a) designing a process or product so that a defect cannot be made and b) design a product or process so that if a defect is created, it is immediately obvious and can be immediately corrected.

      Objectives

      As a result of taking this course, you will learn the theory and application of Poka Yoke. Through workshops and case studies you will discover how to apply Poka Yoke principles to a variety of products and processes.

      Prerequisites: None

      Topics

      • Poka Yoke theory and principles
      • Poka Yoke product design applications
      • Poka Yoke manufacturing process applications
      • Poka Yoke inspection process applications
      • Poka Yoke business process applications

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  • Product Line Strategy and Portfolio Management

    • Product Line Strategy and Portfolio Management

      Course Number: XX (RLS)
      Recommended Duration: 2 Days

      Course Overview

      A product line strategy is the road map for how a product will evolve in a manner that implements the business strategy in the marketplace and in the business operations. From this definition it is obvious that to develop a product line strategy there must be four elements: 1) a business strategy, 2) a clear understanding of the marketplace, 3) a clear understanding of operational strengths and weaknesses, and 4) an iterative plan for how these will change over time. This program will show how all of these must work together to create an effective product line strategy and to manage the product portfolio.

      Course Objectives

      • Participants will understand how to link business strategy to platform and product line strategy
      • Participants will be able to create a product line strategy
      • Participants will be able to prioritize projects and resources within a project portfolio
      • Participants will be able to manage product positioning and pricing within a portfolio

      Key Topics or Sample Schedule


      Day 1 Agenda – Product Line Strategy
      • Principles of Strategic Thinking
      • Developing a Business Strategy
      • Market Analysis, Market Maps, and Customer Needs
      • Assessing the Current Product Portfolio
      • Developing a Product Line Strategy
      Day 2 Agenda – Portfolio Management
      • Portfolio Pricing Approaches
      • Financial Performance of a Product Line Strategy
      • Portfolio Organization and Road-mapping
      • Prioritizing Projects and Initiatives within a Portfolio
      • Managing the Portfolio and Assessing Performance

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