STRATEGY FOR SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURING OF DEVELOPMENT TEAMS IN CONCURRENT ENGINEERING

A framework for supporting the organization and structuring of product development teams under concurrent engineering environment is presented. The concepts of Team Structuring Dimensions (TSD) and Development Characteristics and Factors (DCF) are defined. Based on the concepts, the framework analyzes the emphasis that should be placed on each TSD according to the DCFs, and each different combination of the emphasis defines a more appropriate team organization and structuring. A more appropriate team organization facilitates the communication and information sharing between the team members, and the quality of this communication is essential for product development effectiveness and efficiency. The effectiveness of the framework is discussed by real cases in product development projects. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.