Towards Lean Design Management

The paper forwards the following hypotheses, which are new or previously little treated, in regard to design management: (1) There is an optimal sequence of design tasks. (2) Internal and external uncertainties tend to push the design process away from the optimal sequence. (3) Out-of-sequence design process leads to low productivity, prolonged duration and decreased value of the design solution. (4) It is possible and worthwhile to enforce (through measurements and managerial control) the realization of the optimal or near optimal sequence. These hypotheses are theoretically grounded and empirically justified through results from case studies and experimentations. Associated methods, like the Design Structure Matrix and the Last Planner, are presented.