An exploratory study of the use of quality tools and techniques in product development

Abstract

PurposeThe exploratory paper investigates the reasons for the adoption or non‐adoption of quality tools in industry. Although quality tools such as statistical process control and failure mode effect analysis are commonly practiced in manufacturing, the same cannot be said for product development.Design/methodology/approachWe adopted a case study approach in this study, which has been found to be the more suitable approach for exploratory research. Semi‐structured interviews ranging from half an hour to one and a half hours were conducted with seven industrialists and three academics. These industrialists are R&D managers, product development managers, project managers and engineers who have been involved in new product development (NPD) in one way or another.FindingsBuilding on previous studies, the study identified two categories of factor affecting the adoption of quality tools: internal and external factors. User‐friendliness, usefulness, time, monetary cost, flexibility and popularity of the tools are internal factors which may influence the usage of tools. External factors such as project nature, organization, industries and culture account for the external influence.Originality/valueBy identifying the possible reasons of (non‐)adoption of quality tools in NPD, researchers can better design tools and techniques which would be more readily adopt by companies.

Rota da Inovação: Uma Proposta de Metodologia de Gestão da Inovação

“…A revisão dos estudos abordados pelos autores contribuiu para um melhor entendimento de metodologias e ferramentas de gestão da inovação (Ghaemmaghami & Bucciarelli, 2003;Igartua, Garrigós, & Hervas-Oliver, 2010;Keltsch, Probert, & Phaal, 2011;Laurenti, Rozenfeld, & Franieck, 2012;Lemos & Porto, 1998;Libutti, 2000;Lichtenthaler, 2005;Olsen & Welo, 2011;Scozzi et al, 2005;Thia, Chai, Bauly, & Xin, 2005). Complementarmente, metodologias amplamente difundidas, como stage-gate (Cooper, 2003), e abordagens emergentes, como o design thinking, também foram analisadas.…”

Product Innovation Tool Adoption Behaviour in Technology-Based New Ventures

“…In line with this idea, the interviews and focus groups Nijssen and Lieshout (1995) carried out led them to conclude that business-to-business companies conduct product innovation in a different way to those producing consumer goods. Another potential firm effect on the number and choice of tools adopted is the type of product innovation process (Thia et al, 2005). This effect does not seem to have been formally tested, although Adams' (2004) findings provide frequency distributions for types of process adoption among large firms.…”

“…The literature reports several characteristics for which researchers have found links with tool adoption, all in the context of large organisations (see Table 2). (Nijssen and Frambach, 2000), research done on industrial companies 2: (Rigby, 2001b), research done on management tools 3: (Chai and Xin, 2006), only surveyed 8 tools 4: (Tidd and Bodley, 2002, p. 135), a survey of 50 projects in 25 large UK firms 5: (Nijssen and Lieshout, 1995), suggested that tool adoption will be influenced by nature of markets 6: (Thia et al, 2005) * †: Discrepancies Although these studies have shown a number of key influences on tool adoption, they have focused mainly at the level of the firm. As a result, the influence of factors within teams has not been fully articulated, for example the effects of team composition, conduct and experience.…”

“…However, to date there has been limited research dedicated to unravelling the reasons why practitioners, in any type of firm, use product innovation tools. Furthermore, Thia, Chai, Bauly and Xin (2005) suggested that future tool research ought to cover a wider selection of companies including small private companies.…”

Human Capital and New Product Development Performance Efficiency- The Mediating Role of Organizational Learning Capability

“…One of the most significant is the under-utilization of contemporary tools and techniques to aid NPD. Numerous tools and techniques have been developed over the years to make the NPD process more manageable and successful (Thia et al 2005). …”