Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design & Management Program, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-93). / by Timothy J. Flores. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 53). / by Thane Morgan. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2008. / Leaves 223 to 225 blank. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 217-222). / The development of successful new products in less time and using fewer resources is key to the financial success of most consumer product companies. In this thesis we have studied the development of new products and how to systematically improve the execution of new product development. Product development is an activity that concerns multiple functions, involves technical complexity, a variety of stakeholders and is ultimately a complex human activity. We have used a systems engineering approach to tackle this complexity and study product development in a holistic manner. Consequently we have focused on what we call the product development system which includes all the elements of structure (functional elements, links and arrangement) and the elements of character or concept (values, principles, operating style) that define a specific product development organization. The study of the product development system is done using examples from the automotive industry and an extensive review of knowledge from prior studies into product development. Five elements of structure - product, process, people, tools and goals - are reviewed to provide guidelines and insight to what combination of these elements is required to build a congruent structure for a product development system. Additionally, communication in product development and architectural lessons are analyzed to enable the selection of character elements for the design of a product development system. / (cont.) Following the systems engineering approach, the design of product development systems is done by focusing on developing the architecture for the system. It is proposed that by designing the system architecture one can define how product development will be executed and find the greatest opportunities to significantly improve the delivery of new products. Using this approach makes context - geographic location, culture, organization, economy - key to the final system design. As a result, the proposal for an improved product development system has been executed by designing an architecture for a specific product development organization - Ford of Mexico. The architecture for the system contains some elements that are generic to any organization and others that are specific to the product development organization of Ford of Mexico. However, all of the concepts that were used to design the architecture of the Ford of Mexico product development system are found to be equally valuable to other product development organizations that intend to improve their execution of product development. Finally, we have documented the effect that developing and implementing the product development system has had for the Ford of Mexico Product Development Organization. This information provides insight toward the value of designing a product development system and helps us provide a set of next steps for further deployment of the proposed product development system architecture at Ford of Mexico. / by Adrian Aguirre Granados. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 1999. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-57). / by Richard A. Sewersky. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design & Management Program, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 63). / by Craig A. Moccio. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-60). / While there is no shortage of successful and failed biotechnology ventures, it is still very difficult to gage, a priori, how a new company will fare in this industry. In many cases new biotechnology ventures are driven by rapidly evolving technology and emergent customer needs, both unpredictable by nature. Also, the Biotech Industry faces increased public and federal scrutiny as companies attempt to navigate murky ethical and legal waters. This thesis will explore the ongoing development of the next generation DNA sequencing market in an effort to predict exactly which factors will play a role in determining who will ultimately succeed. This will be accomplished through an analysis incorporating a combination of historical precedents in this industry and traditional market theories. The goal is to produce a set of dimensions along which to judge the current and future participants in this market in order to determine which are most likely to succeed. / by Joseph Graham. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design & Management Program, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 73). / by Nancy Riley Jankowiak. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design & Management Program, February 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-136). / Globally dispersed engineering teams within Delphi Packard Electric Systems were studied to identify areas for future improvement in global team performance. The research consisted of several management interviews and the administering of a survey to global team members and team leaders at various Delphi Packard Electric Systems engineering and manufacturing facilities located throughout the world. The results of the survey were analyzed using bivariate statistical analysis methods and suggestions for future improvement were developed based on the interviews and survey results. The suggestions were summarized as leadership leverage points for various levels of leadership within the company, including team leaders, regional (local) managers, and global managers. A system dynamics causal loop model was also developed to describe the relationships for various factors that affect team performance, including availability of capital (material resources), skills of the team members, individual and collective team effort, team interaction and communication, use of task-appropriate strategies, global versus local issues, and team results. The original survey was modified and expanded to allow future researchers to better address the variables and relationships that were presented in the casual loop system dynamics model. / by Christopher D. Burns. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design & Management Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 131). / Automobiles are becoming increasingly complicated and are creating more of a challenge for the engineering teams working on them. This thesis focuses on improving the methods of managing powertrain attributes and the interactions between them. We are concentrating on the particular attributes of Shift Quality, Performance Feel, Driveability, and Trailer Towing. Engineering work to achieve specific attributes is currently handled attribute by attribute and the system is brought together later. This lack of a more holistic view results in a large amount of engineering rework as attributes are balanced. Reducing or eliminating this rework is the goal. A Design Structure Matrix (DSM) was used to document interactions between the powertrain attributes, sub-attributes and design parameters. Research on various reporting formats was done to determine the best method to communicate the interactions. DSM experts were interviewed about the benefits and pitfalls of using a DSM for reference. Several surveys were done to determine engineering's familiarity with various methods of displaying system interactions and their preferences for reporting the interactions. We also compared the interactions to existing CAE capability to determine the current state of attributes management. The DSM showed numerous interactions between powertrain attributes, other vehicle attributes and design parameters. The analysis of existing CAE tools showed a significant percentage of interactions are not currently being modeled. The responses to survey questions on output methods indicated that a DSM, while being an excellent tool for capturing the interactions, might not be the best tool for displaying the interactions to engineers. The surveys revealed that / (cont.) engineers are looking for more information than a DSM or any systems interactions model contain, such as probability that an interaction exists, expected direction and levels of the interaction, and quick and simple methods for better understanding of these potential interactions. This desired level of detail highlights the need to share Lessons Learned, develop a corporate knowledge base and develop best practices. A review of the organizational structure and engineering focus indicated that increased focus is needed on powertrain attributes to better match customer expectations. Additionally, organizational structure changes are recommended to increase visibility of powertrain attributes. / by Daniel J. Rinkevich [and] Frederick P. Samson. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. / This thesis evaluates the likelihood of EPCglobal becoming the universal RFID standard by presenting a framework of ten factors used to analyze and determine if EPCglobal is moving in the right direction. The ten factors are: complexity of application (Supply Chain Management), mandates, privacy policy, member type, EPCglobal standard development process, membership size, intellectual property policy, benefits, system cost, and China. These factors have been used in various analyses and studies that explain the main reasons for the adoption of other technologies and/or standards. Therefore, this thesis not only presents an analysis for the adoption of EPCglobal as the universal standard but also presents the factors that could help EPCglobal achieve its goal. The results show that five of the ten factors that influence the establishment of EPCglobal as the universal standard have a positive effect for the universal adoption of EPCglobal, two are neutral, and three are negative. Thus, there is a strong likelihood that EPCglobal could successfully become the universal standard for RFID system in the retail supply chain management. Furthermore, if EPCglobal strives to have the two neutral rated factors join the other five positive factors and makes an effort to switch the three negative factors to positive, then EPCglobal would be on the right path to becoming the universal standard. / by Juan Ignacio Aguirre. / S.M.