Richard Crayne

Engineering Excellence Richard Crayne

Product development programs may take years to complete and consume lots of resources. We argue about the time and resources required. Global programs take even more. We want programs to be more efficient and effective, but struggle with how to measure performance and make improvements with results that can be measured. Benchmarks are only stories without hard data. Engineering Excellence is a unique, comprehensive process for measuring and achieving benchmark performance in product development. It includes a unique and powerful method for measuring the output and productivity of engineering teams. Combined with other "True" Key Performance Indicators, this can be used to identify baselines, benchmarks, and gaps. Best practices are identified, shared and baked into Roadmaps for Gap Closure. Future program budgets are based on expected improvements. After noise is reduced in the system, rigorous resource management can be deployed within and across regions and product groups. This book explains the process in detail based on more than a decade of real-life application across 20 product groups in large corporations. It can be used for Engineering and cross-functional teams. Large global automotive suppliers are using it effectively: Adient; YanFeng Automotive Interiors; and Cooper Standard Automotive. Some non-automotive product groups in Johnson Controls International are using it also. This is a must-read for business leaders and engineering leaders seeking to improve the product development process. Leaders, continuous improvement practitioners, project estimators, project controllers, and others seeking more from their product development organization will benefit.