Concurrent Engineering

Abstract

The implementation of concurrent engineering in a project management framework will be explained holistically in this article. By focusing on the people participating in the project, the process itself, and the technology required to achieve the goal, the article will focus on the main parts of how to make the concurrent engineering approach successful. These provide an explanation of how to successfully use concurrent engineering by addressing topics like the value of knowledge sharing, the necessity of interdisciplinary teams, and effective project planning. Finally, the approach's advantages and disadvantages are discussed. They are paired with the preceding sequential engineering approach to address the situations in which one approach is better to apply than the other.

Big idea

What is concurrent engineering? What does it mean in a project management context?

- Difference/evolution from sequential engineering - what is sequential engineering?

What is the approach used for? What is its purpose?

Application

Requirements for the success of CE

People: multidisciplinary teams, knowledge sharing, multitasking

Process: project planning, milestones

Technology: tools, techniques, technologies to use in the project to support CE - depends on organization size

Implementation approach

When is it applicable?

How to implement? When to implement?

Benefits & Limitations

Benefits:

Shorter time-to-market - compared to SE

Possible to make changes/alterations early on - focus on solving the issues in their early stages/as they appear in the beginning, so they will not have such a high impact later on

minimized risks of loss (time and knowledge between departments/tasks)

Limitations:

Need for close collaborations between departments

Maybe do a table to compare CE and SE? Benefits and limitations

Concurrent vs. sequential engineering When to choose one or the other?

CE: no need for a defined output in the beginning - SE: need for at defined goal/output

References

Ebrahimi M., S. (2011). Concurrent Engineering Approaches within Product Development Processes for Managing Production Start-up phase (Dissertation), pp. 45-86. Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping.

Pawar, K. et al. (1996). “Concurrent Engineering: From Concept to Implementation”, at International Conference on Agile Manufacturing, at Bangalore, India, 22.-24. Feb. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268427376_Concurrent_Engineering_From_Concept_to_Implementation

Smith, P.G. (1998) “Concurrent Engineering Teams,” in D.I. Cleland (ed.) Field Guide to Project Management. John Wiley & Sons, pp. 439–450, chapter 32.

Swink, M.L. (1998). “A tutorial on implementing concurrent engineering in new product development programs,” in Journal of Operations Management, 16(1), pp. 103-116. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-6963(97)00018-1.