The management of products is an essential requirement for successful organisations. Strategically coordinated activities for upgrading products, broadening of the range of goods by variants, developing follow-up models and enhanced products are creating the best premises to continually use resources of the organisation. These activities require profound studies of the market, potential competitors, new technologies and customer requests in order to create new ideas for enhancing the present products and to introduce innovative products.
In most organisations unfortunately the systematic internal achievement of new ideas is neglected. The aim of this paper is to enable organisations to get new ways to generate ideas for future products, as well as suggestions for idea generation in order to carry out product variation, product differentiation or product diversification along the product life cycle. It also copes with emotional or organisational barriers within the creative process and team characteristics for creativity workshops.
Table of Contents
1 General
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Target Group
2 Basics
2.1 Product Management
2.1.1 Main Tasks of Product Management
Product Innovation
Product Variation
Product Differentiation
Product Diversification
Product Elimination
2.1.2 Connection to Creativity and Innovation
2.2 Creativity and Innovation
2.2.1 Basics
2.2.2 Factors for Creativity and Innovation
Area of Conflicts: Creativity versus Efficiency
Supportive Organisational Characteristics
Personal Barriers and Obstacles
Team Characteristics
3 Selection of Techniques and Tools
3.1 Creativity Techniques
3.1.1 Progressive Abstraction
3.1.2 Brainstorming
3.1.3 Brainwriting - Method 635
3.1.4 Relevance Tree
3.1.5 Synectics
3.1.6 Morphological Box
3.1.7 Attribute Listing
3.2 Systematic Innovation Tools
3.2.1 9 Windows
3.2.2 Function Attribute Analysis
3.2.3 Perception Mapping
3.2.4 Contradiction Matrix & 40 Inventitive Principles
3.2.5 TRIZ Trends of Evolution
3.2.6 Smart Little People
4 Use of Creativity Techniques and SI Tools within the PLC
4.1 Product Life Cycle
4.1.1 Use of Techniques and Tools within Introduction
4.1.2 Use of Techniques and Tools within Growth
4.1.3 Use of Techniques and Tools within Maturity & Saturation
4.1.4 Use of Techniques and Tools within Decline
4.2 Checklist for the Use of Techniques and Tools
5 Bibliography
Books and Magazines
Internet Sources
Further Sources for Information:
6 Table of Contents Appendix
Objectives and Core Topics
The primary objective of this thesis is to provide organizations with systematic approaches and creativity techniques to generate innovative product ideas throughout the various phases of the product life cycle. It addresses the need for structured innovation management to enhance product development and maintain a competitive advantage.
- Analysis of product management tasks in relation to the product life cycle.
- Exploration of creativity basics, organizational barriers, and team dynamics.
- Selection and detailed description of various creativity and systematic innovation tools (e.g., TRIZ, 9 Windows, Synectics).
- Categorization and mapping of these tools to specific situational conditions and product life cycle phases.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.1 Progressive Abstraction
This method is used if there is a broader problem field that has to be analysed from different perspectives. The essential part of this technique is the question:
“What is the essential problem?” or “What is it about?”
Due to the repeated answering of those questions, the abstraction level of the answers increases gradually. The solution finder is forced to find approaches for the solution of the problem by using specifically applied search directions. The generation from the superficial, imprecise problem perception to an exact and target oriented core definition of the problem is the aim of this method.
Summary of Chapters
1 General: Provides an introduction to the necessity of product management and defines the target audience for the paper.
2 Basics: Explains fundamental product management tasks, the relationship between creativity and innovation, and organizational factors influencing creative success.
3 Selection of Techniques and Tools: Introduces a range of specific creativity techniques and systematic innovation tools, detailing their procedures and application logic.
4 Use of Creativity Techniques and SI Tools within the PLC: Links the previously discussed tools to specific phases of the product life cycle and provides a situational selection guide.
Keywords
Product Management, Product Life Cycle, Innovation, Creativity Techniques, Systematic Innovation, TRIZ, Brainstorming, Problem Solving, Product Innovation, Product Variation, Product Diversification, Organizational Environment, Team Characteristics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The paper focuses on providing product managers with a structured toolbox of creativity techniques and systematic innovation methods to support product development throughout the product life cycle.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The work covers product management tasks, the organizational and personal conditions for creativity, a detailed selection of innovation tools, and their practical application across different life cycle phases.
What is the main research objective?
The aim is to enable organizations to move beyond ad-hoc innovation by providing structured methods to generate, refine, and upgrade product ideas effectively.
Which scientific or analytical methods are utilized?
The author synthesizes established literature on innovation management and creativity to categorize various techniques based on problem types and situational constraints.
What is the content of the main chapters?
The main sections detail the basics of innovation and product management, provide a comprehensive list of creative tools, and offer a practical mapping of these tools to the product life cycle.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include product management, innovation, creativity techniques, TRIZ, product life cycle, and systematic problem solving.
How are the "9 Windows" used in the context of this thesis?
The "9 Windows" tool is introduced as a method to assist in thinking across dimensions of time and space, helping to break down psychological barriers of standard thought when defining a problem.
What role does the TRIZ "Contradiction Matrix" play?
The matrix is presented as a high-potential tool for solving technical contradictions by identifying standard inventive principles, effectively shifting a problematic system towards an ideal result.
- Quote paper
- Verena Rumpf (Author), 2009, The Use of Creativity and Systematic Innovation within the Product Life Cycle, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/135283
