Trends and Future Research Direction of Lean Product Development

Abstract

The field of product development (PD) has an excellent opportunity to achieve the benefits of lean principles. The literature on lean product development (LPD) is growing and is extensive, but it needs to be more systematic. A distinct, comprehensive, and up-to-date review of LPD literature is necessary. Motivated by studying and understanding contemporary themes and the current trends in the LPD research area, this article reviewed 85 previously published papers across three scientific databases from 2011 to 2022. Using literature review methodology, we determined for every article: research motivation or gap filled, key findings and significant contributions, and suggestions for future research. That helps structure the field of research into nine domains according to the gaps the authors wish to fill. The results indicate that over the past decade, the LPD literature has shown trends towards synergy of LPD with green, sustainability, circular economy, industry 4.0, and digitalisation. Finally, the article proposes six future research directions.