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Product creation

The product development process (PEP) is intended to ensure standardized processing of projects for the development of new products, systems and machines.

The product development process (PEP), often also known as the product realization process, product development process, product industrialization process or NPI process (New Product Implementation), describes the path from the product idea to the series introduction of a product. It describes all the activities that are necessary to develop a product according to your requirements and to be able to produce and ultimately deliver it under qualitative conditions.

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The PEP has its origins in the automotive industry and is derived from the VDA maturity model. In addition, it is very much based on the APQP model (Advanced Product Quality Planning). He structures the simultaneous process of product and process development, as well as the implementation of the manufacturing process in the production environment, including supporting the production and delivery ramp-up.

The form of the PEP can vary greatly depending on the company and has different starting points in the process model. It may be that the PEP has a strong connection with the innovation process, the pre-development or concept development process but also with the sales process. During the phase-out phase, there can be strong interference with the production process.

The product development process is based on a phase model whose process phases are usually divided by process or quality gates.

The PEP has the characteristic that it involves almost all areas of a development-oriented organization. It forms a central guide for the entire development organization and forms many interfaces to corporate functions but also to other support processes, which at the same time represents one of the greatest challenges.

In most process maps, the PEP is at the center of the process model.

The following processes usually have direct interfaces to the PEP.

  • Concept or pre-development process
  • Sales and quotation process
  • Production process
  • Project management process
  • Product development process
  • Change management process
  • Procurement process
  • Product release process
  • Supply chain process

We at the IQX GROUP demand the development of such standardized product development plans for all strongly “project-oriented companies”. However, we have often observed that a product development plan that is designed exclusively for milestones involves certain risks and that in the end the project goals are often not met.

Causes we observed:

  • The status of the results to be reported at the milestones is rated as “green” for a long time and suddenly turns to “red” shortly before implementation.
  • The time periods between milestones are too long and potential deficits are recognized too late.
  • The project team starts working on deliverables for the next milestone far too late.
  • The potential of weekly project coordination as a driver of progress is not used à frequent coordination meetings with little “added value” instead of working meetings with concrete results (e.g. management of open issue lists!)

In order to counteract these four causes, we at the IQX GROUP see “SPRINTS” between milestones as a very important component that can be easily integrated into the classic milestone plan.

Sprints, derived from agile methodologies, are short, time-limited periods in which a specific set of tasks or goals are completed.

This is how sprints can effectively support a milestone plan

1. Improved focus and prioritization between milestones

Sprints break the project down into even more manageable chunks, allowing teams to focus on specific key tasks within a set time frame.

By aligning sprint goals between milestones, teams can prioritize tasks that are critical to reaching the next milestone or overall project goals. This also results in a manageable number of “sprint topics”. There is maximum focus on “war-decisive” project content.

2. Regular progress checkpoints

Sprints provide regular intervals for evaluating “honest” progress. At the end of each sprint, the teams review concrete results and what has been achieved. This helps to identify deviations from the plan at an early stage.

Our approach is to use the standard project coordination for this. This results in much more professional preparation for the (weekly) project coordination and also adds significantly more added value.

This frequent review process ensures that milestones are approached methodically and adjustments can be made in a timely manner to stay on track.

3. Improved adaptability

Agile project management has the basic principles of reacting quickly to changes and puts people and their collaboration in the foreground. As the project progresses, new information or changed requirements may arise. Sprints allow teams to quickly adapt to these changes and adapt their approach accordingly without derailing the entire milestone plan. This flexibility ensures that the project remains aligned with the project goals and stakeholder expectations.

4. Incremental deployment and validation (the agile loop)

By delivering work in increments, sprints enable ongoing validation of any progress on critical topics. Each sprint creates a potentially deliverable product increment that can be reviewed by stakeholders. This continuous feedback loop ensures that the project meets desired standards and requirements, reducing the risk of significant issues at milestone checkpoints.

5. Improved team collaboration and motivation

The sprint framework promotes regular communication and collaboration within the team. Daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives foster a team environment in which team members are constantly aligned on key project goals. This collective effort and regular interaction helps maintain team motivation and ensure everyone is working toward milestone goals.

6. Clear and measurable results in short intervals

Every sprint culminates in a tangible result. , Agile methods can be used to determine velocity and the performance of the project team can be measured. Combined with an objective determination of product maturity, result-related project progress can be precisely tracked against defined specifications and it can be ensured that the project is progressing as intended. It also offers stakeholders (project client, customer, project steering group, etc.) visible and measurable evidence of progress and increases transparency and trust.

Integration of sprints into product development projects

In order to effectively integrate the agile method of sprints into classic project plans, you should consider the following best practices from the IQX EXPERTS:

Define clear deliverables at the milestones

  Establish clear and achievable milestones that are linked to clear and measurable deliverables and align with overall project goals. Ensure that the deliverables at the milestones are consistently known to the project team and understood by everyone.

Sprint Planning Alignment

Actively involve the project team in sprint planning. This ensures realistic planning and ensures that the team takes responsibility for achieving goals. During sprint planning, select tasks that are of high importance for the success of the project and at the same time contribute to the fulfillment of the deliverables at the next milestone. Avoid putting a large number of tasks into sprint mode - this would cause the clear prioritization of the most important topics to be lost again.

Standup meetings, sprint reviews and sprint retrospectives

The regular review of progress within a sprint takes place via high-frequency standup meetings. They create transparency within the team about progress, current activities and problems.

At the end of a sprint (max. duration 1 month), a sprint review is held in which the sprint results are presented to the most important stakeholders. The progress of the most important project topics is constantly monitored in a transparent manner and the stakeholders can make adjustments based on the most important project goals. If you include a product maturity assessment in the sprint review, you will regularly receive an objective assessment of the level of progress in terms of product realization.

The sprint retrospective focuses on team collaboration and the use of tools and tools. The goal is to derive improvement measures for the next sprint.

Do not mix these three different methods as each meeting serves a different purpose.

Stakeholder engagement

Keep stakeholders informed by including them in sprint reviews. This ensures that their feedback is taken into account and they are informed of progress towards milestones.

Sprints perfectly support classic project management milestone plans by providing a structured, adaptable and focused approach to achieving project goals.

By leveraging the strengths of sprints - such as regular progress checks, adaptability, incremental delivery and improved collaboration - project teams can ensure milestones are met efficiently and effectively, leading to successful project completion at the end of the day.