Methods & Processes

This research group focuses on understanding, supporting, and improving the underlying processes of product development projects. To contribute to these goals, our research encompasses both, generic procedure models as well as specific methods and tools. The former includes phase-oriented development models such as the Munich Procedure Model or the V-Model, but also agile development techniques. Moreover this contains more specific models, e.g. for tailoring processes or integrating use phase data into product development.

In addition to procedure models, methods and tools are developed. Hereby, the focus is primarily set on structural complexity management tools including matrix- and graph-based approaches. These methods support the processes by understanding complex projects or products and increasing transparency. In practice, they are used e.g. for analysing project communication or performance or for deriving commonalities and product family strategies. With this broad set of methods and processes, this group provides a sound theoretical basis for many other approaches and thus links to the other groups of the Laboratory of Product Development and Lightweight design.