Experimental Design for New Product Development

We want to be more innovative – but how?

Many companies talk about their desire for Innovation. Can Design of Experiments (DOE) help in that process? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided.

Too often, we manage on hope

How often do we hear a design or process development team express optimism – “We are almost there!” And how long does that same response continue without progress? The key is to decide when we have tried long enough using informal methods. Predictability and confidence are important to achieve project success.

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Many companies experience challenges during product development. Can Design of Experiments (DOE) help in that complicated set of activities? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided. [Read more…]

How do I know your projects are valuable?

We have executed and coached many projects. What benefit did they provide? Where can we help within the lifecycle of a project? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the case study topic provided. [Read more…]

We have a critical project – what should we do?

There are many approaches to managing projects. What are the keys? How can we ensure our critical project is going to meet schedule and customer needs? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided.

How do we approach a new product development?

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Is that tool really going to help me?

We do not want tools that waste our time. How do we know which tool can create benefit for us? Here are a few tools worth using on most projects. Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided.

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We need training that is useful.

All companies train their people. How can you get what you need? What is the most effective approach? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided.

We need the training impact to last longer than the class

A company sees a need for training. They set up a class agenda and bring in an instructor. The ratings were good, but no one is using the new information so no value was created. How can they achieve training success and make it stick? This video shows our approach to make it more beneficial and create company value.

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Prototypes Help You Learn About Your Product

To reduce schedules, prototype cycles are often randomly slashed. Eventually the time and resources are needed and create cost and schedule over runs. We need to recognize that prototypes exist to help us learn about our product. If we use a risk based test strategy approach, we can test at lower levels to gain the required understanding. Then, we can confirm our learning with the higher level, system prototypes.

Just 4 minutes and 19 second long. To me, a prototype does include bench testing at lower levels as long as it includes the relevant functionality to represent the area for learning. [Read more…]

Statistical Model Building

Model Building is a key theme for several advanced techniques. It boils down to creating an equation. Done well, one can predict and forecast how things will behave. Creating understanding reduces product risk and increases the chances for success.

Just 3 minutes and 9 second long, lets get the basics of model building to improve your understanding of how a system works. [Read more…]

Using Data for Knowledge Based Decisions

There is much talk about data based decision making, but I think that misses the point. We make decisions based on knowledge. Data needs to be translated into that knowledge, and yet not all knowledge can be measured. This has been my training philosophy for a number of years now and has been quite effective. [Read more…]