Products, processes, and organizations are kinds of systems. When complex, they become challenging to plan and manage. The design structure matrix (DSM) is a methodology for representing and analyzing components and their relationships in a complex system. The DSM is a square matrix that shows dependencies between system elements; these elements can be product components, people, teams, processes, or activities. By doing some simple analysis, one can prescribe a modular system architecture or organization structure. Adding a time-basis enables one to prescribe a faster, lower risk process. Because the DSM shows process feedbacks, it helps identify iteration and rework loops—key drivers of cost and schedule risk. The DSM can also show how delays in external inputs, such as requirements and equipment, trace directly to increased cost, schedule, and risk.

This workshop will introduce the DSM and four distinctive applications useful to product developers, project planners, project managers, systems engineers, and organizational designers. Real-life examples will be presented.

• Understanding why dependencies and interfaces are important—and why they are often not managed very well in system architectures, organizations, and processes

• How to apply the Design Structure Matrix to systems problems

• How to model information flow in an organization and how to improve organizational integration, coordination, and collaboration

• How to organize complex design projects effectively and how to prescribe and manage a workflow with minimal cost and schedule risk

• Strategies for making design processes "leaner," reducing cycle time and cost

Dr. Tyson Browning
Sr. Project Manager
Integrated Company Operations
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Dr. Tyson R. Browning holds the position of Senior Project Manager in Integrated Company Operations at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas. He is the technical lead and chief integrator for a number of teams in developing the enterprise process architecture for the Aeronautics Company. He is also the lead author of company policies and processes driving the transition to a process-based company. Browning previously worked with the Product Development Focus Team of the Lean Aerospace Initiative at MIT, conducting research at Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Boeing, Raytheon, Sundstrand, and Daimler Chrysler. Browning earned a Ph.D. in Technology Management and Policy (systems engineering and management) and two Master’s degrees from MIT and a B.S. in Engineering Physics from Abilene Christian University. He has published papers on organizational integration, risk management, the design structure matrix, and process modeling. He is a member of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Tough economic times, ever increasing competitive pressures on price and functionality, and improved customer relationship management have elevated the voice of the customer to a new level of priority. This workshop will provide key insights on how to quickly and effectively integrate your customers -- and your competitors’ customers -- into your product development process.

Sheila Mello will outline a choice model highlighting various customer touch points that are possible from pre-concept and ideation through product launch, commercialization, and retirement. Among other techniques, she will review customer advisory boards, prototyping, web-based feedback, interactive product definition, and the pros and cons of online customer panels

• Strategies to develop and maintain the discipline of fast, flexible customer-integrated product development

• Unique tools to quickly and effectively integrate customer data in product definition and development

Sheila Mello
Managing Partner
Product Development Consulting, Inc.

Sheila Mello is the author of the recently published book, Customer-Centric Product Definition: The Key to Great Product Development. She is managing partner of Product Development Consulting, Inc. Sheila has done extensive research in processes for defining customer requirements and is an expert in helping companies implement and institutionalize market-driven product definition programs.

• Where time can be cut from your development process through rapid prototyping
• How to frame open issues as hypotheses so that you can learn from your prototypes and move ahead with certainty
• How to look at and procure rapid prototyping technologies so that you reap their time-cutting potential
• Where you must make cultural or organizational changes to make rapid prototyping a way of life in your organization

Preston Smith
New Product Dynamics

Preston Smith has worked exclusively on accelerated product development for over ten years. He founded New Product Dynamics in 1986 to bring rapid development expertise to a wide variety of companies as an independent consultant. Preston has published numerous artilcles on the techniques of speeding up product development and is co-author of Developing Products in Half the Time.

• How to remove speed bumps and rigidity from your development process

• How to front loading the development process to achieve maximum

• Speed

• Rolling wave technique for managing project planning and executioin

• Selecting project lifecycles that foster flexiblity

Greg Githens
Managing Partner
Catalyst Management Consulting

Greg Githens has over 20 years of experience in program management. He is a managing partner with Catalyst Management Consulting. He works with firms of all sizes and industries to solve specific problems, and to create new capability or improve existing capability. This includes rapid project development (improved time-to-market) performance, tools/practices for both the "fuzzy front end" of development, as well as the deployment back end.