Innovative Management

New product development (NPD) and innovation are key factors that affect a company s long-term survival and growth. In a highly competitive and uncertain market, firms must learn how to compete globally by strengthening their NPD and innovation capabilities. Only through the continuous innovation management, can firms maintain their global competitiveness. This work develops management methods for NPD and innovation. The author focuses on the management of the early stages of NPD. Design Structure Matrix (DSM), Concurrent Engineering (CE), Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), Fuzzy Set Theory (FST), and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) are integrated and conduct useful tools and methods for managing NPD. The proposed methods include (1) dynamic planning method for NPD; (2) structural matrix-based modeling for managing design variety; and (3) fuzzy logic-based evaluation model for idea screening of product design. The case studies showed that the proposed management methods performed well. The author expects that this book can provide some novel approaches of design management to help firms achieve the goals of innovative product development.

Autorentext

Dr.Yao-Tsung Ko received his Ph.D. in Industrial Design from National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, Republic of China. He is an assistant professor in the institute of Industrial Design, Tunghai University, Taiwan. His major research interests include industrial design, concurrent engineering, design management, and new product development.