Lean implementation in product development processes: a framework proposal

Abstract

The implementation of lean principles in product development (PD) activities has been receiving increased attention lately. However, it is not clear how the application of these principles to PD activities enhances their effectiveness. Moreover, the implementation of lean principles is more difficult to achieve in PD activities than in the shop-floor context. The objective of this paper is to develop and implement a framework applying lean principles to the PD process. To that end, an action research project was conducted in the R&D department of an industrial company. This article presents and describes a six-step framework, its challenges, and main results. The implementation of the framework led to gains in the efficiency of the product development process through a 20% decrease in waste. Improvement measures such as standardisation, clear identification of roles, prioritisation of activities and improved efficiency of meetings were the main drivers for the gains in efficiency. Overall, three main contributions should be highlighted: the role a knowledgeable lean project leader can play; employee training focused on the implementation of lean-based product development activities; and team building and communication.

Keywords:

• Lean
• product development
• waste
• framework
• action research

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their time, comments and insightful recommendations that have greatly contributed to improving the quality of the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is sponsored by national funds through FCT –Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under the project UIDB/00285/2020 and LA/P/0112/2020.

Notes on contributors

Luís Miguel D. F. Ferreira

Luís Miguel D. F. Ferreira is an Assistant Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Coimbra. He received his PhD from the Technical University of Lisboa. He participated in several national and European research projects, and has published in journals as Supply Chain Management: an International Journal, Journal of Manufacturing Systems, Journal of Cleaner Production, Production Planning and Control among others.

António Carrizo Moreira

António Carrizo Moreira is an Associate Professor with Habilitation at the Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering, and Tourism (DEGEIT), University of Aveiro, Portugal. António received his Master’s degree in Management from the University of Porto, Portugal. He holds an MBA from Porto Business School. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, England. He received scholarships from Science and Technology Research National Board (JNICT) and Science and Technology Foundation (FCT).

Pedro Silva

Pedro Silva PhD is a researcher at the Centre for Business and Economics Research of the University of Coimbra. He has participated in several research projects and authored several articles in international peer-reviewed journals. His research focuses on international business, strategic management, marketing and innovation.