Product platform and product family strategies place tremendous demands on the efficient capture, storage, and retrieval of information in the form of product data. The user’s adoption of an information management system for product families and mass customization is critical for allowing the system to perform as it ought. The following is a case study at a major modular playground equipment producer undergoing the implementation of a new graphical-based configurator for managing its mass customized products. The case study examines the proliferation of software packages to perform configuration and the flow of information in the configuration process. Next, the new configurator is evaluated on its new features to capture, store, and reuse configurations and its visual appeal. Last, the paper addresses the personal behaviors and training methods used for increasing adoption and their success.
Product Configuration Management in ICT Companies: The Practitioners’ Perspective
