Design Maturity

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The concepts of process maturity and capability maturity are increasingly being applied to various aspects of product development, both as a means of assessment and as part of a framework for improvement. Although 'maturity' can be defined in a number of ways, it usually implies the adoption of 'good practice' within a framework which encourages repeatable outcomes. Here, we define it as follows:

"The degree to which processes and activities are executed following 'good practice' principles and are defined, managed and repeatable."

Key Design Activities may be performed at a number of levels of maturity, and these have been organised in the form of a Design Maturity Model (DMM). The Design Maturity Model (DMM) defines four levels of maturity for each key design activity. Common issues for each activity include:

  • What benefits are gained from the activity?
  • Who is involved?
  • When is the activity performed and when are different staff involved?
  • What processes are followed and are they effective?
  • What tools and methods are used?
  • How is the activity performed - what level of expertise?

 

Four levels of design maturity: from ad-hoc to embedded

Figure 1: Design Maturity Model: 4 levels of maturity

 

The characteristics of each key design activity are described for each of the four maturity levels, using a short caption phrase plus a few bullet point descriptors. A summary of the captions for some of the key design activities is given in the tables below, followed by an example of a detailed grid for one of the design activities.:

  Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Market research & analysis Prejudice or 'gut-feel' 'Gut-feel' calibrated by experience Marketing-led research Full team involvement
Investigating user needs Rely on anecdote and opinion User opinions sometimes sought 'Voice of customer' a standard process Different methods used as appropriate
Product specification A poorly defined wish list Incompatible market and technical specs A single testable specification Unambiguous USPs
Concept generation Go with the first idea Engineering led Cross-functional involvement Radical ideas encouraged
Concept selection There is only one concept Chosen by the chairman's wife Use a standard checklist All stakeholders involved
Ergonomic design Little consideration of usability Engineers design the user interface Early specialist involvement Total 'user experience' design
Product platform planning Most of our products are totally different Some modularity - but not 'by design' Planned reuse of technology Platform-based strategy
Prototyping to reduce market risks 'Trust me - it'll sell' Occasional user testing Always test with users Modelling is 'a way of life'
Prototyping to reduce technical risks 'Trust me - it'll work' Pre-production prototypes All risky elements prototyped Modelling is 'a way of life'
Design for manufacturing Over the wall Ad-hoc manufacturing involvement Regular design reviews Formal DFA / DFM techniques

Table 1: Design Maturity Model: Design execution summary

 

  Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Culture & environment No 'playing' at all Creativity kept 'under the desk' Some managed 'soft time' Creativity expected and rewarded
Product development process No process A process exists, but ... Process used and understood Continuous improvement
Teamwork Functional rivalry Lightweight project management Heavyweight project management Autonomous project teams
Specialist design involvement 'Silent design' Brought in late to 'tart up' the product Early specialist input Strategic input

Table 2: Design Maturity Model: Design management summary

 

Investigating user needs        "Use of a range of methods to assess and disseminate the requirements and motivations of users / customers"
Level 1
Rely on anecdote and opinion		 Level 2
User opinions sometimes sought		 Level 3
'Voice of customer' is standard process		 Level 4
Different methods used as appropriate
Rely on anecdote from user contacts

Not enough data to interpret or disseminate

Not required by the NPD process, so it typically isn’t done

Engineer or marketer is the ‘expert’

 A few users may be asked

Unstructured data collection

No formal interpretation of data - occasional ‘market reports’

Ad-hoc process - no standard methods

 A representative cross section of users asked

Typically questionnaire/ interview based ‘voice of customer exercise’

Outputs formally reported

Standard approach mandated in the NPD process

 All internal and external stake-holders involved

A range of qualitative and quantitative methods used

A single report synthesising all inputs into a coherent set of customer requirements

Table 3: Detailed grid for design activity "Investigating user needs"

 

The set of maturity grids from part of a Design maturity audit which can be used to assess current design performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

 

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