Implementing concurrent engineering in different environments: factors for success

It is not surprising that companies face challenges in determining the sort of concurrent engineering solution that they require given the multiplicity of ways that it has been considered. Concurrent engineering has been viewed at a tactical level in terms of a series of disparate tools, techniques and organisational structures that when implemented together form concurrent engineering. Typical elements judged to create a concurrent engineering solutions have included parallel tasks, cross functional development teams, inter-disciplinary workgroups, use of quality engineering methods such as QFD, Taguchi, SPC, an integrated CAE environment and design-for-manufacture techniques. A second body of work regards concurrent engineering at a strategic level. It emphasises the parallel consideration of all aspects of product introduction rather than the more traditional sequential approach. The final group of definitions views concurrent engineering at an objective level. The definition of concurrent engineering becomes very wide to encompass a way for improving the performance of product introduction and hence improving overall business performance. Each of these approaches can find echoes in industrial implementations. For the purpose of this paper concurrent engineering is considered in terms of its effect on the organisational structure. This article therefore focuses on the types of team implemented in terms of its membership, leadership, location and whether or not the team is full-time.