Product Development for the Lean Enterprise

Book excerpt: Whether a group of engineers is developing new cars, software applications, aerospace equipment, kitchen appliances, controls, sensors, or any of hundreds of different items, the process they follow is pretty much the same. Except in one company - Toyota, perhaps the most innovative and highly respected car company on the planet. What is most startling is that Toyota's product development engineers are four times as productive as their counterparts in other companies, according to a study by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. Most follow a linear process in developing new products. Toyota's engineers do not. As this book reveals and explains, Toyota's development engineers rely on a development paradigm that is totally different than that found in the West. Companies that are early adopters of the Toyota product development system are certain to realize tremendous advantages over their competitors. This is a change that is coming to businesses everywhere and this book shows the way. It is a must-read for anyone in management.