The impact of the standardization of the NPD process on its efficiency

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the standardization of the new product development (NPD) process on its efficiency. A dilemma exists with regard to determining to what extent NPD processes should be standardized, in order to not hinder the operators during the performance of NPD process and consequently, weaken it. The case analysis for this study was carried out at a company whose process development has been standardized for a decade and has undergone several degrees of standardization. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were applied in the study. A regression method was used for quantitative research in order to study the effects of selected dependent and independent variables; using qualitative analysis, we supported the findings of the quantitative analysis. The results of the analysis indicate that the standardization of the NPD process does have an impact on its efficiency. From the obtained results, it may also be concluded that a very high degree of standardization begins to reduce the efficiency of the NPD process

CORRELATION BETWEEN THE TOOLS AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND THE PRODUCTION PROCESS IN SMEs

In the course of this study, we focused on validating assumptions on the correlation between the tools and development process and the production process in SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). The correlation of both processes is determined using select indicators. On the basis of work experience in the field of quality assurance, we notice that outputs from the tools and development process often do not generate satisfactory results in the production process. This phenomenon is first observed in the production process and later in customer satisfaction feedback. The consequences of failing to achieve satisfactory results may ultimately cost an enterprise the loss of a customer and/or loss of income. During the course of this research, we have also determined that investing effort and knowledge into the tools and development process signifies valuable reimbursement for the enterprise. The correlation between both processes was determined using statistical methods. The result of the research confirms assumptions on there being a strong correlation between both processes and provides a list of suggestions for improvements that either directly or indirectly affect the select indicators

Influence of Polyvalence Professionals on Product Development Process Efficiency

Product development is one of a company’s key processes for meeting customer demands, providing long-term market share growth, revenues and company value. The main question we are addressing in this paper is how the professionals with more and better developed competencies (polyvalence professionals) increase efficiency of the product development process. We presume that the efficiency of the product development process is significantly influenced by the matching rate between the competencies of professionals and the task requirements of the process. The hypothesis was tested in an international study in which five footwear companies from three European countries participated. By analysing variances and using correlation and regression analyses, we prove the influence of polyvalence professionals on the product development process efficiency. We also prove that polyvalence professionals are the strategic resources who provide a company’s long-term competitive advantage, allowing efficient development of new products thus having high response rate to customer demands

Ali obstajajo pomembne razlike v uspehu in organizacijski kulturi med družinskimi podjetji v proizvodnem in storitvenem sektorju v Sloveniji?

In this article we will introduce the development of those organizational culture elements, which influence importantly on company successfulness in family companies. The research was performed in 24 Slovenian companies with 524 responded survey questionnaires from field of services, consultancy and computer equipment, trade counter, production, road freight traffic and civil engineering. With this analysis we found out the answer to the question in family loyalty to the company, management style, loyalty and mutual trust system, strategic emphasis, criteria for successful business operations, stimulation (rewarding), process of continuous improvement, business ethics of the company, organization, values of the employees, and satisfaction of the employees in those companies. The collected data are important from the aspect of the organizational culture influence on the future growth or eventually their stagnation.Članek predstavlja razvoj tistih elementov organizacijske kulture, ki pomembno vplivajo na uspeh družinskih podjetij. Raziskava je zajela 24 slovenskih podjetij s 524-imi izpolnjenimi vprašalniki. Postavili smo glavno hipotezo, ki trdi, da obstajajo pomembne razlike v organizacijski kulturi med proizvodnimi in storitvenimi podjetji, ki vplivajo na večjo uspešnost slednjih. Na podlagi dobljenih rezultatov, ki so bili pridobljeni iz analize posameznih trditev v vseh devetih segmentih faktorjev organizacijske kulture, kakor tudi rangiranja vrednot in faktorjev zadovoljstva, lahko trdimo, da obstajajo razlike med individualnimi trditvami določenega segmenta. Razlike znotraj individualnega seta faktorjev, ki dajejo prednost storitvenim podjetjem, so bile zabeležene v petih individualnih setih. Pomembno je, da poleg analiziranih vrednosti individualnih setov faktorjev organizacijske kulture, ki kažejo na uspešnost poslovanja podjetja, smiselno upoštevamo še nadaljnjo rast in razvoj podjetja

Model primarnih človeških kritičnih dejavnikov uspeha za implementacijo ERP sistema

Background and Purpose: Many researchers have investigated various Critical success factors (CSFs) and the different causes of ERP implementation project failures. Despite a detailed literature preview, we were unable to find an appropriate research with a comprehensive overview of the true causes behind CSFs, observed from a human factors perspective. The objective of this research was therefore to develop and evaluate the Primary human factors (PHFs) model and to confirm the significant impact of PHFs on traditional CSFs and on the project success. Design/Methodology/Approach: The comprehensive PHFs research model was developed and examined in empirical quantitative research with the use of available literature and the application of the Root cause analysis. A survey was conducted in various Slovenian organisations in different branches that had previously implemented the ERP system SAP. The model was verified on a sample of 21 experts from 18 organisations. Results: The results show that the PHFs have a significant positive impact on the ERP implementation project success, but only the Competence and Team composition factors are significant linear predictors in an adapted regression model and contribute significantly in predicting project success. These results therefore confirm both proposed hypotheses and the adapted regression model. Conclusion: This study improves the understanding of PHFs and confirms that they have a significant impact on traditional CSFs and the ERP implementation project success. The proposed PHFs model offers project managers and other stakeholders an effective risk assessment of CSFs and is leading the way to human oriented model of ERP implementations.Ozadje in namen: Mnogo raziskovalcev je preiskovalo najrazličnejše Kritične dejavnike uspeha (KDU) in različne vzroke za neuspeh projektov ERP implementacij. Kljub podrobnemu pregledu razpoložljive literature nismo našli ustrezne raziskave s celovitim pregledom dejanskih vzrokov, ki se skrivajo za KDU, z vidika človeških dejavnikov. Cilj raziskave je bil razviti in ovrednotiti model Primarnih človeških dejavnikov (PČD) in potrditi njihov pomemben vpliv na tradicionalne KDU ter uspešnost projekta implementacije. Zasnova/Metodologija/Pristop: S pomočjo zbrane literature in uporabe vzročno-posledične analize je bil razvit celovit raziskovalni model PČD, ki smo ga preverili z empirično raziskavo. Izvedena je bila anketa s sodelujočimi iz različnih slovenskih podjetjih, ki delujejo v različnih branžah in ki so v preteklosti implementirala ERP sistem SAP. Model je bil preverjen na vzorcu 21 strokovnjakov iz 18 organizacij. Rezultati: Rezultati so pokazali, da imajo PČD pomemben pozitiven vpliv na uspešnost projektov ERP implementacij, vendar sta samo dva dejavnika, Kompetence in Sestava projektnega tima, značilna linearna napovedovalca v prilagojenem regresijskem modelu in značilno prispevata k napovedovanju uspešnosti projekta. Rezultati tako potrdijo obe predlagani hipotezi in prilagojen regresijski model. Zaključek: Raziskava izboljšuje razumevanje PČD ter potrjuje njihov pomemben vpliv na tradicionalne KDU in uspešnost projektov ERP implementacij. Predlagan model PČD omogoča projektnim vodjem in ostalim sodelujočim na projektu učinkovito oceniti tveganja posameznih KDU in nakazuje pot k človeku usmerjenemu modelu ERP implementacij

Ali obstajajo pomembne razlike v uspehu in organizacijski kulturi med družinskimi podjetji v proizvodnem in storitvenem sektorju v Sloveniji?

In this article we will introduce the development of those organizational culture elements, which influence importantly on company successfulness in family companies. The research was performed in 24 Slovenian companies with 524 responded survey questionnaires from field of services, consultancy and computer equipment, trade counter, production, road freight traffic and civil engineering. With this analysis we found out the answer to the question in family loyalty to the company, management style, loyalty and mutual trust system, strategic emphasis, criteria for successful business operations, stimulation (rewarding), process of continuous improvement, business ethics of the company, organization, values of the employees, and satisfaction of the employees in those companies. The collected data are important from the aspect of the organizational culture influence on the future growth or eventually their stagnation.Članek predstavlja razvoj tistih elementov organizacijske kulture, ki pomembno vplivajo na uspeh družinskih podjetij. Raziskava je zajela 24 slovenskih podjetij s 524-imi izpolnjenimi vprašalniki. Postavili smo glavno hipotezo, ki trdi, da obstajajo pomembne razlike v organizacijski kulturi med proizvodnimi in storitvenimi podjetji, ki vplivajo na večjo uspešnost slednjih. Na podlagi dobljenih rezultatov, ki so bili pridobljeni iz analize posameznih trditev v vseh devetih segmentih faktorjev organizacijske kulture, kakor tudi rangiranja vrednot in faktorjev zadovoljstva, lahko trdimo, da obstajajo razlike med individualnimi trditvami določenega segmenta. Razlike znotraj individualnega seta faktorjev, ki dajejo prednost storitvenim podjetjem, so bile zabeležene v petih individualnih setih. Pomembno je, da poleg analiziranih vrednosti individualnih setov faktorjev organizacijske kulture, ki kažejo na uspešnost poslovanja podjetja, smiselno upoštevamo še nadaljnjo rast in razvoj podjetja

Odprava znanjskih ozkih grl z uporabo mehke logike

In the formation of new processes, innovations generated by people possessing the right knowledge and talent play a crucial role. Our starting point was the fact that every new change in processes can alter the knowledge structure of a work position or work role. This means that a person can become a knowledge bottleneck in the process. If this person is found on a critical path, the process cannot produce the output in a desired form, extent or quality, unless the bottleneck is removed. For this reason, we developed a decision model founded on fuzzy logic. The result of the fuzzy model is knowledge estimation based on deviation between the required and actual knowledge. For faster decision making, we made a presentation of allocated people on desired roles using the heat map technique. Therefore, the employers make better decisions on actual knowledge allocation, acquiring missing knowledge, or defining knowledge required for the future, which makes them more competitive.Odločilen pomen pri oblikovanju novih procesov predstavljajo tudi inovacije, ki jih generirajo osebe s pravim znanjem in talentom. Izhajali smo iz dejstva, da vsaka nova sprememba v procesih lahko spremeni strukturo znanja določenega delovnega mesta ali delovne vloge. To pomeni, da oseba, ki zaseda vlogo, lahko postane t. i. znanjsko ozko grlo v procesu. Če se oseba nahaja na časovno kritični poti procesa, potem proces ne daje izhoda v želeni obliki, obsegu ali kvaliteti, kolikor bi ga lahko, če bi znanjska ozka grla razbremenili. V ta namen smo razvili odločitveni model, ki temelji na uporabi mehke logike. Rezultat modela je ocena znanja, ki temelji na odstopanjih med zahtevanim in dejanskim znanjem. Za hitrejše sprejemanje odločitev o razporejanju oseb na vloge glede na njihovo znanje smo uporabili tehniko toplotnega zemljevida. Na podlagi tega bi delodajalci sprejemali boljše odločitve o trenutni razporeditvi znanj, pridobivanju manjkajočega znanja oz. definiranju znanj v prihodnosti, kar jih bo naredilo bolj konkurenčne

Odprava zunanjskih ozkih grl z uporabo mehke logike

In the formation of new processes, innovations generated by people possessing the right knowledge and talent play a crucial role. Our starting point was the fact that every new change in processes can alter the knowledge structure of a work position or work role. This means that a person can become a knowledge bottleneck in the process. If this person is found on a critical path, the process cannot produce the output in a desired form, extent or quality, unless the bottleneck is removed. For this reason, we developed a decision model founded on fuzzy logic. The result of the fuzzy model is knowledge estimation based on deviation between the required and actual knowledge. For faster decision making, we made a presentation of allocated people on desired roles using the heat map technique. Therefore, the employers make better decisions on actual knowledge allocation, acquiring missing knowledge, or defining knowledge required for the future, which makes them more competitive.Odločilen pomen pri oblikovanju novih procesov predstavljajo tudi inovacije, ki jih generirajo osebe s pravim znanjem in talentom. Izhajali smo iz dejstva, da vsaka nova sprememba v procesih lahko spremeni strukturo znanja določenega delovnega mesta ali delovne vloge. To pomeni, da oseba, ki zaseda vlogo, lahko postane t. i. znanjsko ozko grlo v procesu. Če se oseba nahaja na časovno kritični poti procesa, potem proces ne daje izhoda v želeni obliki, obsegu ali kvaliteti, kolikor bi ga lahko, če bi znanjska ozka grla razbremenili. V ta namen smo razvili odločitveni model, ki temelji na uporabi mehke logike. Rezultat modela je ocena znanja, ki temelji na odstopanjih med zahtevanim in dejanskim znanjem. Za hitrejše sprejemanje odločitev o razporejanju oseb na vloge glede na njihovo znanje smo uporabili tehniko toplotnega zemljevida. Na podlagi tega bi delodajalci sprejemali boljše odločitve o trenutni razporeditvi znanj, pridobivanju manjkajočega znanja oz. definiranju znanj v prihodnosti, kar jih bo naredilo bolj konkurenčne

Building nextgeneration competencies for logisticians and supply chain managers

The resources developed in the project cover: Teaching/training materials in the three following areas: AREA 1: Sustainability as a service in supply chains & the manager of the future, that focuses on process and supply chain mapping toward emission minimisation, as well as improvements identification and implementation; AREA 2: New technologies in logistics, which covers: blockchain in logistics and Industry 4.0-related solutions; AREA 3: Intelligent logistics and transportation systems, that is about: systems design, stakeholders, risk management, resilience, as well as environmental and social regulations. Examples of good business practices related to the three above-mentioned areas. Case studies on implementing more sustainable operations (that were accounted with the LCA approach) with the identification of areas for improvement and proposals for improvement scenarios. All teaching/training materials are available in English, however, they are also translated into the languages of the participating countries: Polish, Greek and Slovenian. The learning material is accompanied by the Virtual Learning Environment that allows for online and open access to all developed materials. Additionally, we also offer you access to resources in SCORM standard, which allows to upload them to any compatible e-learning platform (e.g. Moodle) and use in any intended way for educational purposes at organisations beyond the project partnership. Finally, you will gain an opportunity for self-study and personal development (our materials are dedicated to students, postgraduates, managers and business professionals looking for competence development opportunities) or inspiration to teach/train others (our materials are also dedicated to teachers, trainers and educators in the field of logistics and supply chain management).In recent years the logistics market experienced rapid development and has been subject to substantive pressures and changes. Digital transformation of supply chains, rising complexity of transportation routes, uncertainties in collection and delivery times, growing interest in Industry 4.0, etc., emerged into intelligent (smart) supply chains. Furthermore, due to resource scarcity, the companies are looking for "green" solutions to integrate with their supply chains. With these observed changes, the global supply chains are currently progressing towards digital, intelligent and sustainable logistics (DISL). DISL is necessary to increase safety, tackle growing emissions and congestion problems, make processes within supply chains more efficient and sustainable, and enable the proper integration of today's society in the next-generation Industry 4.0 context. For this reason, we proposed the NEXTLOG project, which stands for "Building nextgeneration competencies for logisticians and supply chain managers". In this book, you will find who we are and what is the aim of the NEXTLOG Project. The consortium of the project comprises academic partners from 3 European countries and business partners that co-created the results and provided insight into the requirements of the market and external environment. Through the publication, you will get access to research results on the competencies that, according to the research conducted in Poland, Greece and Slovenia, are key for next-generation logisticians and supply chain managers.Erasmus+; KA2 - Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices; KA203 - Strategic Partnerships for higher education; Decision No 2019-1-PL01-KA203-06573