"Achieving Manufacturing Flexibility Through Product Design," Jean Graef and Dallas Patton, Technical Paper, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, 1985. Manufacturing professionals are actively seeking ways to lower costs, increase flexibility, and position their companies to meet competition. However, to a large extent, manufacturing, customer service, and finance must follow where development and marketing lead. While there are many things manufacturing can to improve flexibility in its systems, even greater gains can be made through product design. Moreover, a three-pronged design approach that involves manufacturing, development, and marketing can help sell investments in computer-integrated manufacturing to the rest of the organization.
"Wellsprings of Knowledge (Review)," Montague Institute Review, February 1998. Review of Dorothy Leonard-Barton's book that examines the product development processes of different companies to reveal the factors that inhibit and encourage innovation. The reviewer includes implications for knowledge management.
"Getting the Most from R&D Information Systems," Research-Technology Management, 1998. Traditional IS organizations are restructuring to meet new needs. Here's what that means for R&D leaders.
"Corporate scholarship: An Oxymoron?" Montague Institute Review, June 1999. For many people, "corporate scholarship" is an oxymoron. To the marketer, it's boring, esoteric, and dry. To the developer, it's impractical. To the strategist, it's irrelevant. To the CIO, it's an information management problem. But Dave Burnett, Director of the new Pfizer Research University, believes that applying the principles of academic scholarship can help the company learn faster and increase the rate of return on intellectual assets. We think he's onto something.