Product Development for Successive Generations: Creating Decision Support Graphic Information by the Modeling Approach

This study adopts the modeling approach described by Kusaka and co-authors. It aims at specifying fundamental approaches for product development (PD) in order to gain long-range competitive advantages and to create decision support information. Two approaches are introduced: the long-range approach introduces product functions and technologies over successive generations of products as and when they become appropriate; the short-range approach enables the latest environmental changes to be flexibly and quickly introduced into PD decision-making. Thus, the study builds a PD model that optimally selects product functions and technologies for successive generations. The system builds on previous research by introducing a time factor. It considers the latest information based on present market needs and current technological advances. A graphic information tool, which we call a generalized cost performance curve (GCPC), enables decision-makers to see through changing PD patterns for successive generations. It also clarifies product evolution patterns and their characteristics under a planned roadmap.