T o p i c S h e e t : Concept Development

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Concept Development
D e f i n i n g a lt e r n at e p r o D U C t C o n C e p t s , i n v e s t i g at i n g p r o D U C t f e a s i b i l i t Y, a n D s e l e C t i n g t h e b e s t C a n D i D at e s

When it comes to identifying the best concepts, there are no second chances today. You either pick the right concepts to develop, or your product fails, which can mean lost market share, dissatisfied customers, money spent, and time wasted. Companies need the agility to quickly explore many concepts, and easily determine those most likely to succeed. Up to now, that process has been easier said than done.
F i x e d P r o d u c t Development Cost

Fixed cost can reach 60% to 75% of total cost of development.

60% 75%

The goal to innovate can come at a disturbing cost: by the design stage, 60% to 75% of total development cost is fixed, reducing managements ability to adjust the rollout strategy as market conditions change - AMR Research Inc., 2005

Definition of Concept Development

Concept development is a process driven by a set of customer needs and target product specifications, which are then converted into a set of conceptual designs and potential technological solutions. These solutions represent an approximate description of form, working principles, and product features. Often, these concepts are accompanied by industrial design models and experimental prototypes that help in making final selections.
T O TA L Product Development Cycle Time

33 %

An efficient change process can cut upwards of 33% off of the typical product development cycle time.

process of defining alternate product concepts, investigating feasibility and selecting best candidates
INPUTS OUTPUTS
Initial Designs & Specs Set of customer needs and specifications

Concept Development
Industrial Designs

SPEC

Experimental Prototypes

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Understanding the need for Concept Development

To remain competitive, every company must encourage innovation and set the stage for the creation of revolutionary ideas. Yet, organizations often lack the discipline to embrace a structured approach to concept development. Unfortunately, this deficiency often decreases the likelihood of a products commercial success. No doubt, capturing and formalizing concept development, a task involving many internal stakeholders, is clearly a challenge. For starters, for concept development to get it right the first time, the process must reach out to customers to include their voice in concept review and selection. Complicating matters is the fact that two key objectives of concept development are in perpetual conflict. On one hand, given tight timeframes, you want a small set of alternatives, so that you may thoroughly ensure all requirements are met. On the other hand, you gain valuable insight and innovation by exploring as broad a set of concepts as possible. Thus, the dilemma: how do you simultaneously explore wide-ranging alternatives while ensuring all your requirements are satisfied and do it all on time?

benefits of an optimized process for Concept Development

Typical benefits of improving the concept development process can include:

ensure thorough Concept exploration

Allow methodical research of all potential sources of solution ideas Include all organizational stakeholders in consideration and exploration of wide-ranging solution ideas Evaluate previously rejected solution concepts Effectively integrate viable fragmented solutions

increase product Design efficiency

Employ best methods and tools to facilitate a productive concept generation process Adopt a formalized, repeatable, and transparent concept development processes Capture and catalog concept ideas to eliminate redundancy and increase knowledge reuse Improve project execution and visibility of teams progress

improve Design Collaboration

Include the voice of customers in concept evaluation to drive market acceptance upon product launch Reduce the potential for wasted effort, by involving all stakeholders to eliminate non-viable concepts early

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the solution ptCs product Development system

The PTC Product Development System (PDS) delivers all the essential tools for authoring and managing a complete digital product definition the key prerequisite for successful concept development. Digital concept generation tools enable brainstorming, exploration of design ideas, and development of product concepts within a single environment. With the PDS, product information surrounding concepts is managed in a single, structured, cross-discipline product data repository that offers timely and role-based access to a globally dispersed product development team. Customers can be integrated securely and seamlessly into this collaborative environment to ensure concept designs meet requirements. In general, the Concept Development process can be described by three major steps: Problem Definition, Concept Generation, and Concept Evaluation/Selection.

Understand Problem

Requirements

Decompose Problem

Requirements Management

2
Search for Ideas

Complete?

Organize & Synthesize

Develop Concepts

1. problem Definition. In this step, customer needs and requirements

are interpreted as a set of problems to solve. The problems are broken down and decomposed into simpler sub-problems. Functional breakdown and problem decompositions are captured and documented in nested document (object) structures, while online design forums and Web-based meetings record preliminary design decisions.
Score Alternatives

Analyze Concepts

Verification & Validation

2. Concept generation. Solutions are researched for each of the

sub-problems, employing internal and external search procedures. Ideas are further explored using various tools for creating a functioning set of solutions. Designs are developed using an all-inclusive digital sketching and modeling tool enables the exploration of design ideas and development of product concepts in a single environment, seamlessly bridging 2D and 3D. Photorealistic renderings enable early collaboration with colleagues, customers and partners. Solution ideas are then organized, synthesized, and filtered using classification trees and combination tables to systematically explore the solution space. Solutions to the sub-problems are then integrated into a total solution.

Combine & Improve

System Design

Approve?

Approved Concept Concept Documentation

Concept development process flow

3. Concept evaluation/selection. After multiple concept ideas

are generated, they are analyzed using various techniques including computer-aided-engineering and physical testing of prototypes. Manufacturability, supply chain capabilities, and other aspects of product feasibility are also taken into account. Virtual 3D models that are used to capture product form are simulated to assess their intended function, quality and manufacturing feasibility. Results are collected and managed in a central data repository so different alternatives can be screened and scored to quickly narrow the number and to improve the concepts. The remaining and improved concepts are then ranked against the selected reference concept and evaluated by the customer, until the best set of candidates is chosen to be productized.

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Critical Capabilities
The PTC Product Development System offers the following capabilities, which support an effective concept development process: Intuitive, simple application for creation of initial sketches, layouts and facet modeling tools that turn 2D concept representations into 3D models Integrated environment with 3D detailed authoring tools for streamlined downstream development of digital product concepts Photo-realistic visualization, with real-time rendering, to facilitate design reviews and enhance collaboration Web-based environment that provides for secure and seamless integration of distributed concept design teams and external partners Integral, physics-based simulation to explore feasibility of design concepts Single, structured, cross-discipline product data repository for managing and archiving product concepts Timely, role-based access to the latest concept design data to support a globally dispersed team
PTC offers a wide range of capabilities for rapidly exploring product concepts

ptC Uniquely Qualified

An automated and optimized concept development process not only requires superior technology, it also requires companies to streamline their day-to-day processes. Just as important, companies need to ensure that everyone across the organization understands and adopts the new processes and technology. After 20 years of deploying process and technology improvements across thousands of customer sites, PTC Global Services understands all the components required for companies to achieve their product development goals. We offer solutions that include the right blend of process consulting, system implementation, and education services so customers realize the most value from their PDS investment. We implement industry best practices that fully leverage PTC technology, so companies take advantage of the technologys potential while avoiding costly customizations. Plus, each of our solutions incorporates a unique training approach that accelerates the adoption of new technology and processes.
2006, Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). All rights reserved. Information described herein is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a guarantee, commitment, condition or offer by PTC. PTC, the PTC Logo, Pro/ENGINEER, and all PTC product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other product or company names are property of their respective owners.

When it comes to identifying the best concepts, there are no second chances today. You either pick the right concepts to develop, or your product fails.

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