Specific strategies for successful lean development implementation

Abstract

Due to globalization, enterprises face an increasing competition that influences their strategy. To achieve a sustainable market position, enterprises have to differ from their competitors through cost or performance advantages. Both competitive advantages are linked to decisions in product development. Therefore enterprises start to initiate optimization efforts in product development. In production, enterprises achieve positive results by implementing lean production systems (LPS) to optimize their production processes. The aim of LPS is the reduction of waste and the implementation of a continuous improvement process to assure sustainable success. Due to the positive results, enterprises intend to apply the lean approach also in product development (lean development). Enterprises that want to implement lean development (LD) are faced with many different concepts and strategies for the implementation. To analyze the different concepts, criteria for an implementation process need to be identified. For that reason, the article analyzes LD-concepts regarding these implementation criteria and describes the agreements between the different concepts. Thereby, enterprises can develop a strategy for LD implementation. Based on the implementation criteria, a study was carried out among enterprises that want to establish a lean development system. The study identified which specific strategies for implementation was preferred by the enterprises.