A study of design management in the telecommunications industry

Abstract This paper presents an account of a study undertaken jointly by the University of Canterbury and Tait Electronics Limited, a leading New Zealand manufacturer of high-technology radio communications equipment. The project was part of a wider research programme exploring design management and the uptake of computer aided engineering tools in New Zealand industry, funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology. The study reported in this paper investigated techniques by which the product development cycle may be reduced, and in particular, the practical implementation of concurrent engineering principles in the company's product development environment. The research methodology involved the application of design phase diagrams and the recording of instances of communication between intracompany groups and departments, and organizations external to the company. The study highlighted strengths and weaknesses in the company's design management. Particular weaknesses were the level of communications between engineering and marketing functions, and recurrences of task clarification and conceptual design activity late in the overall product development process because of incomplete definition of customer design requirements at the design proposal stage. It was concluded that, with automated data gathering, design phase diagrams could provide a valuable design management tool to evaluate ongoing project progress, and to identify weaknesses in communication or design team effectiveness.