Integrated design and manufacture: a pilot project approach to implementation

New product development best practice models advocate the integration of teamwork, simultaneous engineering, tools and techniques, a front loaded process and project management. The design of the model is relatively straightforward compared with implementation which is significantly more difficult. An approach that has lead to some implementation success is the pilot project approach where a carefully selected product development project is used as a vehicle for good practice demonstration and learning. The project is planned to incorporate all the key elements listed above and is undertaken as though best practice methods are fully implemented within the organisation. The paper describes alternative implementation scenarios when using this approach, the Lucas Integrated Design and Manufacture model and some of the implementation pitfalls