As we have discussed in the past, different organizations include different processes and disciplines in Research and Development. We at InspiRD have started using Research, Development and Engineering (RD&E) as a generic term that includes technology development, product development and sustaining engineering.
Integrated management of RD&E can provide immense benefits to organizations…
RD&E Management or (R&D Management) can link diverse processes and disciplines involved in getting products to market.
- Business strategy
- Marketing and product management
- Advanced R&D and technology development
- Portfolio Management
- Program Management
- Engineering: Design, task execution, requirements management
- Staffing and skill-set management
- Manufacturing: Manufacturability
- Quality: Risk assessment and testing
Connected process can reduce the need for redundant inputs across processes and reduce process escapes. Connected processes make it much easier to make optimal management decisions:
- Business strategy needs to change. How can we change our project portfolio?
- A new market opportunity appeared. How can we best address it?
- Customer needs changed. How expensive will it be to change our projects?
- A break through technology has been developed. How should we engage customers?
- We face unforeseen technological challenge on a critical product. How can we use find staffing without disrupting the entire portfolio?
- Marketing needs to change requirements. What risks will the change introduce? What testing will we need to redo?
- Many more…
An integrated tool like InspiRD can facilitate this connection, enabling organizations to deliver more innovation while reducing administrative overhead.