Lean Product Development (LPD) & Management  – LEAN  Expert   איציק בן לוי

The problematic in product development
Projects, that requires interfacing with other external systems and a number of sub-systems which may be designed by different functional departments; the most important project information is hidden in the interfaces among all those domains. This information will be revealed only if all the parties of those domains integrate in a structured way and analyze the project, (LPD Workshop). If not, this information will surface later during design / production in an uncontrolled manner, generating errors and defects, which will cause schedule delays, reworks, or even the re-development of projects.

LPD Workshop
The workshop is a concentrated effort, (few days), of selected team members focused to achieve a step function of engineering data creation and flow, which can be utilized during all stages of the product development life cycle. The most effective phase for implementing the workshop is in the initial phase of product development. In this phase there is not enough information, but the most important development decisions have to be made. The purpose of the workshop is to increase the fidelity and understanding of information so that the right decision can be made in a timely manner.

The results and outcome of LPD workshop are:

• Templates for capturing new data and information.
• A focus on value creating activities.
• New insights into the development process.
• Real time reallocation and synchronization of activities.
• Team identity and emotional commitment.
• Common language among team members.
• To do list identifying new corrective actions.

“What’s in it for me”? – Project manager

• A development plan with a realistic time table that is agreed upon and committed to by the entire team.
• A true picture of current project status.
• Understanding the system engineering aspects of the project.
• Unveiling almost all the failures that may arise in the future.
• Understanding the interfaces among the sub-systems, the external systems, and the functional departments.
• Cohesive team that is accounted for their obligations.
• A good feeling that project manager “controlling the project” and not the “project controls the project manager”.

“What’s in it for me”? – Top Management

• Reducing Time to Market and development cost
• Meeting Project time schedule
• Staff solves most of the problems without management involvement.
• Saving a lot of problem solving in management meetings.
• The information presented to the management is more accurate and realistic.
• Ability to ask detailed questions usually not carried out by management.
• Workshop participants learn to work as a united team.
• Implementing an organization culture, which allows dealing with complex problems and finds agreed solutions within a very short time.