Managing Innovative Projects

Abstract

1. Introduction. 2. Innovation and the creation of new products Innovation as away of survival the process of innovation product life-cycles case study: product life-cycles sources of ideas for innovative products strategies for innovation sources of funds for developing projects summary contacts. 3. Getting organized Project management project management and project structures leadership and the individual the structure of the project team summary. 4. Planning: the way ahead organization for planning the role of planning in a development project setting out the project plan example: prototype scheduling and test scheduling activities with limited resources network analysis establishing activity durations example: analysis of a simple network expected event dates example: prototype manufacture and test activity on node, or precedence networks alternative logic networks in practice summary. 5. Success by design factors that influence design the design cycle simultaneous engineering quality by design taguchi methods example: test for lowest fuel consumption design reviews configuration management in perspective structures engineering data summary. 6. The cost and value of products value for money design-to-cost value engineering example: cost-to-function analysis for an automatic washing machine summary. 7. Managing the flow of materials planning the acquisition process build sequences control and coordination example: feasible output calculation construction of a line-of-balance chart computerized materials management case study: a computerized materials management system leading the materials management group summary. 8. Progress, performance and control the project control cycle the slip diagram example: completion of a set of drawings case example: slip diagram for the BAe/GEC Nimrod AEW 3 Project the origins of formalized cost and schedule control example: estimate of the outcome of a project at the mid-point of its life the organizational impact of cost-performance measurement work breakdown structures organization for cost-performance measurement measuring project progress contemporary software cost-performance measurement in practice progress reports lines of communication reviews summary. 9. Planning and implementing the production programme types of production economic aspects of tooling example: acquisition of a special machine total annual cost analysis the learning process case example: time reductions for fabricated aircraft panels example: batch costs for vehicle chassis example: learning rates with two shifts cost reductions attributable to learning example: cost reductions where an incentive scheme is in operation the rate of production progress the measurement of production progress example: the build up of production output management responses to low output rates, production readiness summary. 10. The economics of projects estimating the project cost estimating methods Match parametric software case study: product cost estimate justifying the project example: project investment decision the profit potential of new products example: profitable sales figures for a new project how much s spent on innovative projects. summary. 11. Managing the risks the nature of risks risk analysis case example: product and market strategy options example: variability in durations of a development project new developments in perspective risk management summary. 12. Some commercial aspects prime contracts forms of contract fixed-price contracts example: contract price adjustment liquidated damages intellectual property rights summary. 13. Software for project management contemporary software developments in technology products available some factors in choosing project software summary. Appendix: Products and vendors. Further reading.