PLM Library · Book
Product Design and Development
- Author
- Karl T. Ulrich, Steven D. Eppinger, Maria C. Yang
- Publisher
- McGraw-Hill Education
- Edition
- 8th edition
- Year
- 2026
Summary
A central methods reference for product development that combines marketing, engineering design and manufacturing perspectives in one structured process.
It works through the full development process — opportunity identification, product planning, customer needs, product specifications, concept generation, selection and testing, product architecture, industrial design, design for environment and for manufacturing, prototyping, economics and project management — with methods and examples for each step.
Our verdict
Recommended reading. The standard textbook on the product development process itself: methodical, practical and usable as a step-by-step reference for structuring development work.
Who should read it
- —Development and engineering managers structuring or improving their development process
- —Cross-functional product development teams looking for a shared method vocabulary
- —Students in engineering, design and product management
How it relates to your work
- —Its process model is a practical checklist for reviewing where a development organization is strong or weak.
- —Concept selection, product architecture and DFM chapters connect directly to modularization and platform work.
- —Complements PLM literature: it covers the development methods that PLM systems are then asked to support.
Keep in mind
- —A textbook with exercises; practitioners will read it selectively by method.
- —Focuses on the development process, not on PLM systems or product data management.