Knowledge Management In Product Development Research Articles

Idea management in product innovation – the empirical research results

The competitiveness of the economy to a large extent depends on its ability to innovate. There is a consensus between researchers and business practices on the high importance of innovation management process, particularly in the earliest stage when it is necessary to identify business opportunities and find the best possibilities for their realizations. In the process of innovation management, many authors emphasize the critical role of idea management and efficient ways of creating, gathering, evaluation, promotion, selection, and implementation of ideas. As part of the research project Models and methods of knowledge management in product by the Croatian Ministry of science, education and sport, a survey was conducted on a sample of Croatian companies which have product development in their production process. The conducted survey attempted to determine the situation in the area of product innovation, as well as in the field of innovation and idea management in the economy and to compare data with best practices. The collected data show when and how the ideas are collected, which motives and purposes are drivers for the collection of ideas and how companies are organized and trained for this demanding job. This paper presents the results of the survey, which suggest ways to improve product development, and sources and methods of collecting ideas. Publication of the outcome of this and other research on product innovation aims to spread the knowledge about this very important but under- explored area.

Knowledge Management for Product Development: A Review

Engineering product development is becoming increasingly collaborative and knowledge-intensive in today’s industry. On one hand, the product development process comprises various tasks that involve extensive knowledge exchange and communication among geographically distributed teams. On the other hand, the product development teams usually reuse engineering knowledge from previous design experience when solving new design problems. Therefore, there is a strong need to capture, store and reuse the knowledge for product development. In this paper, different understanding and classifications of engineering knowledge are presented. Two aims of knowledge management for product development are analyzed. And the researches on the engineering knowledge management are summarized based on critical phases of knowledge management process. Finally, future research directions of knowledge management in engineering are discussed.

Multi-level contextual product development knowledge management in PLM

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) manages product data and processes and generally forms a huge product knowledge base, but how to leverage it for later product development is not well emphasised and discussed. Based on the practices of PLM implementation, a model of multi-level contextual knowledge management, called C-A-B, was proposed which contains three elements (knowledge context, knowledge aspects and knowledge base) and two engines (aspects mapping engine and knowledge acquisition engine). The context was constructed by leveraging the nature of WBS and workflow in PLM which provides a scenario for product knowledge capture and sharing. Knowledge retrieval was triggered by context and complete by passing contextual attributes to knowledge base through knowledge aspect. A system based on C-A-B model was developed for a vehicle OEM which demonstrates the add-on value to PLM adoption, making the knowledge access and sharing more efficient and productive in context.

An integrated knowledge reference system for product development

Global product development enables companies to increase knowledge sharing. Consequently, knowledge management (KM) is a key issue in the improvement of the product development process. This paper aims to analyze the knowledge evolution process in product development activities and to propose an integrated knowledge reference system. Based on knowledge characterization of vector and finite state machines, knowledge maturity and knowledge value are discussed, and knowledge and the product are linked by tasks and contexts. The knowledge reference system shows a mutually benefiting relationship between knowledge and the product and is thus an effective tool for KM in product development.

Model for mapping Knowledge Management in product development: a case study at a truck and bus manufacturer

Knowledge Management (KM) is an essential process to support New Product Development (NPD). This paper proposes a model for mapping knowledge management capability in NPD based on the occurrence of knowledge conversions in NPD dimensions. There are four conversions related to two types of knowledge: tacit and explicit (socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation). The dimensions of NPD are: strategy, organisation, activity and resource. The model has been applied to the real case of a truck and bus manufacturer to diagnose the knowledge conversions of its NPD. This case, the first to validate the model, also served to improve the model's content.