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A FUZZY FRONT-END PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK FOR START-UPS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Nuno Miguel Martins Pacheco ,
Anand Vazhapilli Sureshbabu ,
Masaru Charles Nürnberger ,
Laura Isabel Durán Noy  and
Markus Zimmermann
Nuno Miguel Martins Pacheco*
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
Anand Vazhapilli Sureshbabu
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
Masaru Charles Nürnberger
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
Laura Isabel Durán Noy
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
Markus Zimmermann
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
*
Martins Pacheco, Nuno Miguel, Technical University of Munich, Product Development and Lightweight Design, Germany, [email protected]

Abstract

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Start-ups tend to form with a central idea that differentiates them from their competitors in the market. It is crucial for them to efficiently transform the idea into a marketable product. Prototyping helps to iteratively achieve a minimum viable product and plays a crucial role by enabling teams to test their ideas with limited resources early on. However, the prototyping process may have wrong focus leading to a suboptimal allocation of resources. Previously, we proposed role-based prototyping for fuzzy front-end development in small teams. It supports (1) resource allocation, (2) the definition of responsibilities, and (3) structuring the development process with milestones. In recent research this was a promising yet incomplete approach. We extend the previous work by refining the prototyping process by adding a prototyping matrix with two dimensions (purpose and lens), a prototyping cycle (plan, execute, test, reflect, assimilate), and a modified Kanban board (Protoban) for planning, managing, and reflecting cycles. This process, named PETRA was tested with a start-up developing an autonomous trash picking robot. The extended approach supported the team significantly in providing a clear idea of what to do at what time.

Keywords

Early design phasesCollaborative designProject managementNew product developmentUser centred design
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 1: ICED21 , August 2021 , pp. 111 - 120
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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