Problems in concurrent new product development: an in‐depth comparative study of three companies

Abstract

Concurrent engineering or concurrent new product development (CNPD) is gradually becoming the norm for developing and introducing new products to the market place. Through the use of three in‐depth case studies looks at the seldom discussed problems in CNPD implementation and day‐to‐day management, and tries to provide a clear picture of the current state of its development, at three companies in three different countries across Europe. Identifies a number of issues emerging from the study, in particular the lack of process understanding for a concurrent or integrated product development effort and the abundance of “organisational” factors as the main barrier to its success. The results identified both differences and commonalties in CNPD experiences between each of the three case study companies. The case studies highlight the importance of process management, with a focus on process modelling and analysis of organisational factors, to improve the existing implementations of CNPD.