Management Strategies for Applying Product Development

Contents:

  1. Case Studies Objectives
  2. The Need for Engineering Systems Information
  3. On-Line Services Available

Case Studies Objectives

Engineering Systems Management Strategies provide senior corporate management, engineering managers, and technical personnel with an understanding of CAD/CAM/CAE technologies and offers guidelines for applying, integrating, and managing these technologies successfully.

This service is unique in offering a thorough, timely and carefully structured source of information about CAD/CAM/CAE and its use and impacts. Engineering Systems Management Strategies is also distinguished by its concern with the need to integrate Engineering Systems technologies with one another and with other business systems.

Accordingly, the services have been designed to emphasize the drawbacks of taking a fragmented approach to the application of Engineering Systems technology. The economic and competitive requirements of national and global economies are such that most businesses cannot afford the wasteful and inefficient consequences of fragmentation.

The Need for Engineering Systems Information

Introducing Engineering Systems technologies and tools can affect every aspect of the operation of a manufacturing enterprise. Changes to operational procedures in both design and production are usually required. The deployment of personnel is affected as their job skills and work responsibilities change. The means by which information and material flow through the manufacturing enterprises is altered as well. Thus, an organization’s structure, its means of communication, and the relationship between previously established areas of responsibility must all be re-evaluated.

These effects can be highly disruptive if they are not anticipated and planned for. Managers and their staffs must therefore understand Engineering Systems technologies and their applications, as well as their far-reaching effects and how to effectively manage and control them. Engineering Systems Management Strategies Services provide the information needed to meet these challenges.

The services are organized so that the major sections within knowledge areas provide a checklist of management considerations for introducing or expanding the use of Engineering Systems technologies. Unless those responsible for developing and implementing corporate strategies understand and consider all the areas of concern outlined in this service, it is unlikely that their efforts will support corporate goals.

The following problem solving services are available:

The service structure is as follows:

  1. How to use Engineering Systems Management Strategies
  2. How to plan Strategies
  3. How to use Systems effectively
  4. How to manage Technology Issues

How To Plan Engineering Systems Strategy

  • How to link to Corporate Strategy
  • Planning Engineering Systems for the Factory of the Future
  • Understanding Engineering Systems Strategic Importance to the enterprise
  • A Strategic Approach to Engineering Systems Planning
  • Management Considerations in Engineering System Implementation

Organizational Impacts

  • Guidelines for Assigning Engineering Systems Management Responsibilities
  • How To Maximize Engineering Systems Acceptance and Use
  • How To Track the Development of Computer-Integrated Manufacturing

Applying Business Practices to Engineering Systems

  • A Method for Evaluating Engineering Systems Applications Opportunities
  • How To Formulate Realistic Expectations of Systems Benefits
  • Engineering Systems Justification and Follow-Up
  • Strategic Cost Analysis: A Case Study for Differentiating Cost Analysis and Control

Systems Use
Systems Implementation

  • Policies and Procedures for Efficient Engineering Systems Use
  • Implementing Computer-Aided Process Planning
  • Keys to Implementing Flexible Manufacturing Systems
  • FMS Scheduling and Control

Ongoing Support

  • How To Customize Engineering Systems Software
  • How To Plan for System Growth and Evolution
  • System Support Considerations for Engineering Systems Managers
  • Policies for System Implementation and Use

Managing the Database

  • Developing and Implementing an Engineering System Data Distribution Strategy
  • Solving Data Management Problems
  • Database Management and Factory Automation: A Management Perspective
  • How To Develop a Computer-Aided Design and Material Requirements Planning Interface

Training and Staffing

  • How To Develop and Deliver an Engineering Systems Training Program
  • Cooperative Training: A Case History of an Industry and College Partnership

Technology Issues
Specification and Evaluation Techniques

  • Preparing Technical Specifications for Engineering Systems
  • Using Benchmark Tests for Engineering Systems Evaluation
  • Assessing the Feasibility of an Automated Testing System
  • Evaluating Engineering Systems – Analysis and Feasibility Study
  • How To Develop the Request for Proposal
  • Tools and Techniques for Production Scheduling and Control

The section on planning strategies examines the need to reconsider corporate strategies to allow for the productive and cost-effective use of Engineering Systems technologies. It also looks at Engineering Systems’ impact on both the organization’s structure and its channels of communication. For example the “Guidelines for Assigning Engineering Systems Management Responsibilities” addresses the problem of fitting Engineering Systems within an existing management and organizational structure and effecting required organizational changes to accommodate Engineering Systems technologies most efficiently.