Currently I am working on a research topic about what role productivity, efficiency and effectiveness in Product Management and New Product Development process play. In other words how can we have a productive, efficient and effective Product Management and New Product Development process.
I was wondering if you help me by sharing your experiences or referring me to related publications.
Sure Mr. Alizadeh
We know that productivity is a performance measurement which helps us how well we utilize our resources in order to produce our products or offer our services. Effectiveness is doing the right things while Efficiency is doing things right.
Now my question is: how can we assign the right resources (effectiveness) to an NPD project and manage and utilize our resources in the best possible way (efficiency) in order to have a better Product Management or NPD process.
I think you may be asking the wrong question here. Instead of asking how productivity efficiency and effectiveness play a role in NPD, perhaps the question is what characteristics of the process and data affect efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. Consider some examples:-
- If it takes a CAE analyst X hours to gather the required data to perform Y hours of virtual testing, what can we do to reduce the time to gather the data?
- If we repeat the same data in 4 different IT systems / spreadsheets (e.g. Design BOM, Service BOM, Finance BOM, PDM system (CAD)), how effective can we expect our change processes to be?
- How robust are our design specs. before we start work? How many times do we have to redesign before we have a satisfactory design that meets all requirements?
- How good is our test planning - are we using virtual methods, rapid prototyping etc. to the best effect?
- Have we engaged purchasing / suppliers in time to meet programme deliverables?
- Have we aligned all stakeholders to the same basic assumptions (see attachment)?
Project Management is often described as delivering against Cost, Time and Quality, but all this is based upon content, so getting the clarity of content right helps to aid good quality planning, Work Breakdown Structure, and avoid scope creep (a major reason for failing to deliver on all 3 metrics). Effectiveness should be measured against the content (How well did we deliver against the objectives?), whilst efficiency should likewise be measured against content (How much resource was expended to deliver the result?). Productivity is a function both of how well is the workplan laid out, and how skilled / experienced are the team in delivering the work.
Thank you Mr. Beadle for your comprehensive answer. Maybe my question was not properly formulated. However, I appreciate your consideration.
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