THE APPLICATION OF AXIOMATIC DESIGN TO THE DESIGN OF THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION

Abstract

The following application o f Axiomatic Design strives to provide a framework for the design o f the organization o f product development. It follows current research to expand the current theory o f Axiomatic Design to complex systems, like software design [Suh (1999)] or the design of manufacturing system [Suh/Cochran/Lima (1998)], to name a few. The development o f new products has always been an essential challenge as it reflects not only the evolution o f the needs and wants o f the customers, but also the change o f the entire corporate environment and o f the company itself. Implications deriving from increased competition, more fragmented and demanding markets and an acceleration o f technology change have alternated the approach towards designing and managing the product development function within a corporate entity [Clark/Fujimoto (1991)]. Whereas the initial intention o f Axiomatic Design is to provide a general basis for the design process, the Product Development System Decomposition (PDS) strives to model the product development organization as a whole, consisting o f individual information processes and overall organizational functionality and characteristics. However, the decomposition requires to clarify the context and linkage o f the PDS within the corporate system. In alignment to Axiomatic Design, the PDS is derived from top-level functional requirements (FRs) and design parameters (DPs), which reflect long-term decisions linked to corporate strategy and corporate system design. Due to the inconsistencies o f current definitions it in addition appears necessary to redefine the scope and content o f product development. The major FRs for the PDS are then linked to fundamental tasks within organizational theory, e.g. the provision o f a sufficient level o f functional expertise by differentiation and the continuing growth in productivity by aligning and adjusting the individual design activities by integration [Lawrence/Lorsch (1967), Sobek (1997)]. Beyond such high-level FRs the PDS is decomposed to a sufficient level which is necessary for a direct application and the continuous control o f the product development system.

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