Learning from research and development projects / the role of post-project reviews

Successful innovation depends to a high degree on an organization’s ability to develop an effective Research & Development (R&D) process and during the last decades many companies have adopted Stage-Gate® or similar methodologies. Although such methodologies are credited with significantly improving R&D results at many companies, there is still potential for improvement, if organizations can learn from projects. Each and every R&D project should not only result in a successful new product but also generate learning for the organization, because this has a high importance for the competitive advantage of an organization. Post-project reviews (PPRs) are recognized by both practitioners and academics as an appropriate mechanism to stimulate project-to-project learning in R&D project teams. However, PPRs are used by relatively few companies, and those that do utilize them often fail to do so adequately. Surprisingly, although PPRs are widely perceived to be a useful tool, empirical research on how they can best be used and how they support learning within a project team is very limited. This thesis addresses this gap in the extant knowledge and describes five in-depth exploratory case studies, which investigated how PPRs are conducted, how they are perceived by R&D managers and the project-to-project learning that can result from PPRs. Based on a complex research design which combines qualitative and quantitative data from documents, interviews and the observation of PPR meetings, the results show that current PPR practices vary much across different organizations. Furthermore, R&D managers perceive PPRs as important for learning in R&D project teams but difficult to manage effectively. An important result was also that tacit knowledge and experiences play an important role when analysing project-to-project learning. Although the operationalization of tacit knowledge is difficult, the detailed analysis of lessons learnt and metaphors used allowed to gather conclusions on the supporting role of PPRs for the creation and transfer of both explicit and tacit knowledge

A framework to capture and share knowledge using storytelling and video sharing in global product development

In global engineering enterprises, information and knowledge sharing are critical factors that can determine a project's success. This statement is widely acknowledged in published literature. However, according to some academics, tacit knowledge is derived from a person’s lifetime of experience, practice, perception and learning, which makes it hard to capture and document in order to be shared. This project investigates if social media tools can be used to improve and enable tacit knowledge sharing within a global engineering enterprise. This paper first provides a brief background of the subject area, followed by an explanation of the industrial investigation, from which the proposed knowledge framework to improve tacit knowledge sharing is presented. This project’s main focus is on the improvement of collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst product development engineers in order to improve the whole product development cycle

Researchers' experience with project management in health and medical research: Results from a post-project review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Project management is widely used to deliver projects on time, within budget and of defined quality. However, there is little published information describing its use in managing health and medical research projects. We used project management in the <it>Alcohol and Pregnancy Project </it>(2006-2008) <url>http://www.ichr.uwa.edu.au/alcoholandpregnancy</url> and in this paper report researchers' opinions on project management and whether it made a difference to the project.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A national interdisciplinary group of 20 researchers, one of whom was the project manager, formed the Steering Committee for the project. We used project management to ensure project outputs and outcomes were achieved and all aspects of the project were planned, implemented, monitored and controlled. Sixteen of the researchers were asked to complete a self administered questionnaire for a post-project review.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The project was delivered according to the project protocol within the allocated budget and time frame. Fifteen researchers (93.8%) completed a questionnaire. They reported that project management increased the effectiveness of the project, communication, teamwork, and application of the interdisciplinary group of researchers' expertise. They would recommend this type of project management for future projects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our post-project review showed that researchers comprehensively endorsed project management in the <it>Alcohol and Pregnancy Project </it>and agreed that project management had contributed substantially to the research. In future, we will project manage new projects and conduct post-project reviews. The results will be used to encourage continuous learning and continuous improvement of project management, and provide greater transparency and accountability of health and medical research. The use of project management can benefit both management and scientific outcomes of health and medical research projects.</p

Mixing rich and asynchronous communication for new service development performance

This article explores the nature of relationships between internal communication modes, new service development (NSD) competencies (specifically learning and development competencies) and NSD performance. To do so, it draws on and advances communication theory by comparing and contrasting the contingent approach, favoured by media richness theory and media synchronicity theory, with the multiplicative manner of dual coding theory. Antecedent roles of rich and asynchronous communication modes for two NSD competencies are investigated, and their function as critical contingency variables affecting the competencies–performance link is unravelled. An empirical quantitative study of senior managers of leading service firms was conducted, with a survey-based methodology. Results show that a learning competency drives development competency which in turn drives NSD performance. Asynchronous communication is essential for learning competency but not for development competency. In contrast, rich communication underpins development but has no direct effect on learning competency. Rich communication is essential for NSD performance when a firm has a low development competency. The interaction between asynchronous and rich communication is shown to be positive for learning, whereas surprisingly it is negative for development competency

Managers' Perceptions of Learning in New Product Development

Companies need to ensure that each and every new product development (NPD) project results in not only a successful new product but also generates learning for the organization. Post-project reviews (PPRs) are widely recommended as an appropriate mechanism to stimulate project-toproject learning in NPD teams. Surprisingly, empirical research on their potential to support learning in NPD is limited. This paper describes an investigation of how NPD personnel perceive the utility of PPRs and of their potential to create tacit knowledge. It is part of an intensive exploratory study of five companies, using a multi-facetted case study methodology. The results indicate that NPD personnel perceive PPRs to be a useful mechanism and also that social interactions and tacit knowledge seem to play key roles in NPD learning. For operations management researchers interested in product development, the study furthers our understanding of learning in NPD, indicates topics that need further investigation, and suggests suitable methodologies. For practitioners, the results indicate the potential for more effective team learning in NPD

Capturing Tacit Knowledge in New Product Development : A Study of Post-Project Reviews

An important way to capture the knowledge generated by new product development teams is to conduct post-project reviews. This paper describes a detailed study of the role that such reviews play in generating and disseminating tacit knowledge within an R&D environment. Tacit knowledge is generally acknowledged to be a challenging topic to research and so case studies were conducted using multiple sources of data. The research identifies the main factors that influence the generation of tacit knowledge at post-project reviews, such as the atmosphere and the discussion methods chosen. Although the study is exploratory and further research is needed, the results have implications for managers who want to positively influence the generation and dissemination of knowledge in R&D departments

Tacit knowledge and situated practice in NPD : an in-depth case study

This paper describes a study of knowledge and learning in NPD. For the empirical data collection, one organization took part in an in-depth case study. Multiple sources of data were used, including interviews, repertory grids, and company documentation. In addition, we participated in a post-project review. As a result of our analysis, some key themes are identified, each of which has a significant impact on knowledge flow at the task level. Our analysis of a project shows that the top lessons learnt are complex; they relate to several key themes. This detailed investigation of situated practice highlights important implications for managing tacit knowledge and improving knowledge flow in NPD