Towards a New Framework for Product Development

In the mid-1980s, Andreasen and Hein first described their model of Integrated Product Development. Many Danish companies quickly embraced the principles of integrated product development and adapted the model to their specific business and product context. However, there is concern amongst many Danish companies that Integrated Product Development no longer provides a sufficient way of describing industry’s product development activity. More specifically, five of these companies have supported a programme of research activities at the Technical University of Denmark, which seeks to develop a new framework for product development. This paper will describe the research approach being taken, present some initial findings, and outline a vision of a new working approach to product development.