Systematic Approach to Formulate PSS Development Project Proposals in the Fuzzy Front End

2013 ◽  
pp. 121-130
Author(s):  
Ana Paula B. Barquet ◽  
Daniela C. A. Pigosso ◽  
Henrique Rozenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Fuzzy Front End ◽  
Front End

Fuzzy front end of innovation: a dual theoretical rationale

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingyu Zhang ◽  
Mei Cao ◽  
William Doll
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Uncertainty Reduction ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Theoretical Rationale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fuzzy Front End ◽  
Front End ◽  
Reduction Mechanisms ◽  
Product Development Project ◽  
Organizational Information

Purpose The uncertainties, ambiguities and unknown issues that characterize the beginning of a new product development project have led practitioners and scholars to coin the term “fuzzy front end” to refer to this seminal stage. The causes of many product failures can be traced back to this fuzzy front end. Despite a growing realization of its importance, the meaning of the term “front-end fuzziness” itself remains vague. A theory-based framework is not available to guide thinking and research on this important topic. The purpose of this paper is to create a conceptual framework for fuzzy front end. Design/methodology/approach This paper applies Daft and Lengel’s (1986) theory of organizational information processing to create a framework for research on the fuzzy front end of product innovation. This framework is used to clarify the concept of front-end fuzziness and identify three sources of fuzziness in the project team’s task environment. Findings Contrary to the current literature, the authors argue that equivocality rather than uncertainty is the dominant cause of front-end fuzziness. This new conceptualization: appropriately broadens the concept of front-end fuzziness; identifies new problem areas; highlights the need for new solutions; and suggests the need to focus on team vision as a front-end deliverable. Practical implications The previous literature used a single uncertainty reduction rationale for integrative mechanisms. Thus, it did not consider that the implementation might change from front end to downstream. The dual theoretical rationale suggests that integrative mechanisms can be implemented differently to focus either on uncertainty or equivocality reduction. In the front end, equivocality is the dominant issue and mechanisms should be implemented in ways that create a rich channel to identify issues and share perspectives. In downstream activities where the dominant issue is uncertainty reduction, mechanisms might be implemented in ways that provide greater quantities of information on known issues. Originality/value This new conceptualization of front-end fuzziness provides a better theoretical rationale for how integrative mechanisms enable a project team to work through the fuzziness it faces, creating a clear team vision that guides its downstream efforts.

scholarly journals A FUZZY FRONT-END PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK FOR START-UPS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 111-120
Author(s):  
Nuno Miguel Martins Pacheco ◽  
Anand Vazhapilli Sureshbabu ◽  
Masaru Charles Nürnberger ◽  
Laura Isabel Durán Noy ◽  
Markus Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Fuzzy Front End ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
Front End ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Extended Approach ◽  
Role Based ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Clear Idea ◽  
Start Ups

AbstractStart-ups tend to form with a central idea that differentiates them from their competitors in the market. It is crucial for them to efficiently transform the idea into a marketable product. Prototyping helps to iteratively achieve a minimum viable product and plays a crucial role by enabling teams to test their ideas with limited resources early on. However, the prototyping process may have wrong focus leading to a suboptimal allocation of resources. Previously, we proposed role-based prototyping for fuzzy front-end development in small teams. It supports (1) resource allocation, (2) the definition of responsibilities, and (3) structuring the development process with milestones. In recent research this was a promising yet incomplete approach. We extend the previous work by refining the prototyping process by adding a prototyping matrix with two dimensions (purpose and lens), a prototyping cycle (plan, execute, test, reflect, assimilate), and a modified Kanban board (Protoban) for planning, managing, and reflecting cycles. This process, named PETRA was tested with a start-up developing an autonomous trash picking robot. The extended approach supported the team significantly in providing a clear idea of what to do at what time.

scholarly journals WHAT IS SUCCESSFUL PROTOTYPING? INSIGHTS FROM NOVICE DESIGNERS’ SELF-EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPING SUCCESS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 3431-3440
Author(s):  
Camilla Arndt Hansen ◽  
Nuno Miguel Martins Pacheco ◽  
Ali Gürcan Özkil ◽  
Markus Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Design Teams ◽  
Fidelity Level ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Human Centered Design ◽  
Development Stages ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Fuzzy Front End ◽  
Front End ◽  
Success Criteria ◽  
Novice Designers

AbstractPrototyping is essential for fuzzy front-end product development. The prototyping process answers questions about critical assumptions and supports design decisions, but it is often unstructured and context-dependent. Previously, we showed how to guide novice designers in early development stages with prototyping milestones. Here, we studied the prototyping success perceived by novice design teams. This was done in two steps: (1) teams were asked to assign each prototype to a milestone, a specific purpose, a fidelity level, and a human-centered design lens, and then evaluate the success using a predefined set of criteria. (2) Teams were interviewed about the success of the prototyping process, this time using self-chosen criteria. Results related to (1) show that teams perceived prototyping activities with respect to desirability and problem validation significantly less successful than prototyping activities towards feasibility and solution validation. Results related to (2) show that teams mostly chose success criteria related to how well prototypes supported communication, decision making, learning, and tangibility. This insight may be used to give priorities to further improvement of methods and guidance in these areas.

scholarly journals Inovação aberta no processo de pesquisa e desenvolvimento: uma análise da cooperação entre empresas automotivas e universidades

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 653-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Vilas Boas Viveiros Lopes ◽  
André Ferrarese ◽  
Marly Monteiro de Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Fuzzy Front End ◽  
Front End ◽  
Flex Fuel

Resumo: A crescente demanda por inovação e a necessidade de reduzir o tempo e o custo do desenvolvimento de novos produtos têm mudado o cenário automotivo nacional, o qual foi por muito tempo caracterizado por um modelo fechado de inovação. A tecnologia flex fuel tem sido um desafio para as empresas desse setor e é o fator motivador deste estudo, cujo principal objetivo foi compreender o processo de inovação aberta no contexto de Fuzzy Front End, identificando as principais motivações e os principais gargalos para implementação. Para atingir esse objetivo foi realizado um estudo de caso longitudinal em um consórcio composto por 9 empresas e 2 universidades. A metodologia envolveu pesquisa qualitativa e quantitativa. A principal contribuição teórica desta pesquisa é justamente o pioneirismo no que diz respeito às empresas montadoras automotivas trabalhando de forma colaborativa. Esta pesquisa também tem implicações gerenciais importantes. Ela indica as peculiaridades que devem ser consideradas quando em um ambiente de coopetição, bem como sugere aos gestores de que forma trabalhar as fases iniciais da inovação. A pesquisa retrata bem o papel das universidades nesse contexto.

scholarly journals Rethinking Virtual Teams for Streamlined Development

2008 ◽  
pp. 1646-1664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Larsson ◽  
Tobias Larsson ◽  
Nicklas Bylund ◽  
Ola Isaksson
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Fuzzy Front End ◽  
Front End ◽  
Shared Culture ◽  
Shared Goals ◽  
Contractual Agreements ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Risky Business

Much of the research on creative teams tends to focus mainly on relatively small teams working in the fuzzy front-end of product development. In this chapter, we bring a complementary perspective from an industry context where creativity is often perceived as risky business—yet a precondition for success. Here, we focus closely on people and teams that might not usually describe their own work to be of a primarily ‘creative’ nature, and that currently work under circumstances where traditional approaches for enhancing creativity might no longer be applicable. Drawing from experiences in automotive and aerospace development, we argue that it is time to radically progress our current understanding of how creativity could be introduced in organizations where factors like legal demands and contractual agreements severely restrict ‘outside-the-box’ thinking, and where well-known creativity enablers such as trust, shared goals, and shared culture are becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish.

Streamlining the Fuzzy Front‐end

1994 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 4-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Reinertsen
Keyword(s):  
Fuzzy Front End ◽  
Front End
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