On the application of lean principles in Product Development: a commentary on models and practices

Over the past decade, attempts have been made to apply lean principles to improve capabilities in Product Development (PD). However, methodologies from lean production are not directly applicable to PD. It is, therefore, desirable to establish a deeper understanding of lean PD as a basis for development of a generic framework. This paper gives an overview of lean PD followed by a discussion on its key component: defining (customer) value. Findings from prior art have been systemised into a framework that includes six key components, along with an assessment tool that has been used with select companies to identify areas where lean PD would provide the greater potential for payback. Examples of results from these analyses are given.