A methodology for developing company-specific design process models

Abstract

A number of design models have been proposed by design researchers, but they have not been adopted by industry because they are too generic. To be successful, companies have to manage effectively both project risk and concurrent development. The stage gate model is a suitable mechanism to achieve the required control within a commercial environment and there is evidence of its adoption by industry. The number of stages used depends on the degree of risk and the control needed in the project. Design methods are techniques that can assist designers to develop new products and knowledge can be classified as basic or specialist. This paper summarizes 100 key design methods from basic knowledge and suggests when they should be used. There are also company-specific design methods, which fall in the specialist knowledge category. An effective commercial design model should incorporate, firstly, a stage gate process that has stages defined to suit the project risk and to provide the control needed, secondly, the required level of concurrency, thirdly, appropriate basic design methods in the different stages, and, fourthly, appropriate specialist design methods in the different stages. This paper proposes a six-stepped methodology for developing such a company-specific design process model.