Course syllabus for Product development management

Course syllabus adopted 2022-02-15 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameProduktutveckling - organisation, ledning och styrning
  • CodeIAR061
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPPDE
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyIndustrial Engineering and Management, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering
  • DepartmentTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 33111
  • Maximum participants50
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsNo

Credit distribution

0107 Examination 7.5 c
Grading: TH
7.5 c0 c0 c0 c0 c0 c
  • 30 Okt 2024 am J
  • 09 Jan 2025 pm J
  • 29 Aug 2025 pm J

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Only students who are admitted to the Product development program are qualified to take the course.

Aim

The main aim of the course is to highlight key prerequisites for an effective and efficient industrial product development activity.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • Describe key prerequisites for an effective product development activity and key strategic considerations that companies must take regarding the product development work, its design and implementation.
  • Explain how different organizational structure and process options affect product development efficiency.
  • Explain why, when and how to use cross-functional teams in product development.
  • Use methods and tools for efficiency product development.
  • Use and reflect on practices when working in a culturally diverse team.

Content

R&D strategy, R&D sourcing, Product platform management, Technology Roadmapping, Project portfolio management, Product development processes, Organization of product development, Project management, Cross-functional teams, Product development methods and tools

Organisation

The basic pedagogical philosophy is to foster understanding of the subjects taught. This means that formal lecturing will be kept to a minimum. Instead students will; work with information gathering regarding contemporary practical issues, read and discuss relevant literature, work with hands on tools, and conduct a development game.

The course consists of lecturers, literature reviews, workshops and a team work.

The purpose of the lectures is to present and discuss the central issues in the literature and to support students in developing an understanding of these issues. The lectures will not cover all details in the literature. Instead, the lectures build on the premise that the student has read and reflected upon the relevant chapters before the lecture.

The aim of the literature reviews is to discuss and elaborate on the content of the literature.

The workshops will give hands on experiences with respect to central topics/tools covered by the course.

The teamwork, finally, will focus on a contemporary and relevant topic not covered by the literature in the course. This teamwork will be supported by seminars in group diversity.

Literature

The course will primarily cover Wheelwright, Steven C. & Clark, Kim B (1992), Revolutionizing Product Development. However, selected additional readings will be handed out through out the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

The examination of the course is made up of two parts, as follows: - Written exam - Topic report - the reports will be graded Passed/Failed.. To pass the course a pass grade is needed on both parts, i.e. more then 20 points on the written exam (50 points max) and a passed graded topic report. Finally, attendance on mandatory exercises is needed to pass the course and these are: The guest lecture on Project management, one Case lecture and the presentation of the Topic reports, The seminars on group diversity. 

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.