What is worth reading in PLM.
Books, papers and articles on PLM, new product development, innovation, configuration management and modularization — each with a brief summary and our editorial judgment on who should read it and why.
Revolutionizing Product Development
Quantum Leaps in Speed, Efficiency, and Quality
Steven C. Wheelwright, Kim B. Clark · 1992 · Free Press (Simon & Schuster)
A classic on development strategy and organizational capability, based on the authors' research into leading product development organizations.
Our verdict: Worth reading for the strategic view. An older book, but its treatment of development capability, project mix and cross-functional integration remains relevant and is still widely cited.
Read the full review →Stage-gate systems: A new tool for managing new products
Robert G. Cooper · 1990 · Business Horizons, Vol. 33(3), pp. 44–54
The foundational article on Stage-Gate: organizing new product development into defined stages separated by decision gates where projects are continued, held or stopped.
Our verdict: Recommended for context. A short, readable original source for the stage-gate concept that most development organizations use in some form — the article behind Cooper's later books.
Read the full review →The House of Quality
John R. Hauser, Don Clausing · 1988 · Harvard Business Review, May 1988
The article that introduced Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to a Western management audience, using the 'house of quality' matrix to connect customer needs with engineering characteristics.
Our verdict: Recommended reading. A short classic that remains the clearest introduction to QFD: the house of quality is still the standard tool for connecting customer requirements to engineering targets.
Read the full review →The New New Product Development Game
Hirotaka Takeuchi, Ikujiro Nonaka · 1986 · Harvard Business Review, January 1986
The classic Harvard Business Review article that compared fast, flexible product development to rugby: a self-organizing, cross-functional team moving the ball down the field together, rather than passing it relay-style between departments.
Our verdict: Recommended reading. Short and influential: the article that gave agile development its 'scrum' metaphor and still explains why overlapping, empowered teams outrun sequential development.
Read the full review →Know a resource worth reading?
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Sign in or register to suggest a resource →Summaries and verdicts are PLMadvisors' independent editorial opinions. No paid placement.