CLIENT CHALLENGE
- Improve the company's product development process.
- Incorporate best-in-class practices.
- Standardize the process within the company to accommodate changes in team composition.
CLIENT RESULTS
- Uncovered root causes of performance barriers and initiated improvements.
- Applied best practices and metrics to each core initiative.
- Institutionalized the approach, metrics, and processes for the company's product development process.
PDC SOLUTIONS
- Assessment
- Benchmarking
- Change Managementent
- Metrics
- Product Development Process
As a leading worldwide manufacturer of sound solutions, Bose applied the same high standards to improving its product development process that it uses to create award-winning sound systems. Bose turned to PDC for assistance in identifying and implementing the appropriate best practices.
To identify the root causes of performance barriers, PDC conducted a formal assessment of Bose's new product development activities. This involved a detailed historical review of eight representative projects, interviews with key executives and members of the firm's Time and Market/Development teams, and a comprehensive functional analysis. Through these exercises, PDC gathered valuable qualitative and quantitative data for determining persistent obstacles to rapid product development.
In parallel PDC conducted a benchmarking study to compare Bose to other best-in-class companies in a number of categories including staffing ratios and schedule prediction accuracy.
After reviewing the results from a combination of qualitative interviews, key root cause analyses from project histories, and weaknesses identified through the benchmarking analysis, the senior management team at Bose was able to reach consensus on the vital few initiatives required to create a world-class product development process.
Today Bose applies these best-in-class practices across its product development organization, ensuring continued success and respect in the marketplace.