Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
IT-Based Knowledge Management
Systems to Support the Design
of Product Development Processes
Emma O'Brien, Darren Harris, and Mark Southern
Abstract In today's dynamic business world, the ability to continuously innovate
and respond to customers' needs is fundamental to success. To enable compa-
nies to do this a thorough understanding of their internal processes is required.
Experiments can provide significant opportunities for companies to generate knowl-
edge about their product development processes. This chapter examines the role of
experimentation in designing robust product development processes and the role of
information technology in supporting this. It outlines an IT-based knowledge man-
agement system to support the creation, transfer, and the use of knowledge amongst
engineers in designing and conducting experiments that lead to robust product devel-
opment processes. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the key issues for
future research in this area.
3.1 Introduction
In today's dynamic business world the ability to continuously innovate and respond
to customers' needs is fundamental to success. To enable companies to do this
a thorough understanding of their internal processes is required. Experiments can
provide significant opportunities for companies to generate knowledge about their
product development processes. However, such experiments are not widely adopted
by companies particularly in Europe (Gremyr, Arvidsson, & Johansson, 2003,
Antony, 2002). This chapter examines the role of experimentation in designing
robust product development processes and the role of information technology in
supporting this.
Experiments have long been recognized as a method of creating knowledge
(Fahey & Prusak, 1998, Nonaka, Toyama, & Konno, 2000). However, their poten-
tial has not yet been widely explored in the context of knowledge management. In
designing product development processes, experiments can be used to explore the
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