Dynamic product development, DPD, was developed by professor Stig Ottosson, and verified in real development projects, some of them managed by this author, characterized by.
- Vision
- Tempo
- Self-organization
DPD-strategy is based on maneuver thinking and is in harmony with Boyd´s theories of flexible adjustment to changing circumstances. Theoretically interesting is the fact that in DPD one makes use of the knowledge gained at every step, which makes DPD the most efficient real life product development method.
Vision
In especially new product development one shoots at a moving target. When the project is guided by a vision instead of detailed plans one gains flexibility/agility and the advantage that fleeting opportunities can be profited on, unpredicted outcomes and problems handled, and the direction is always right.
Tempo
In DPD all activities are directed to the most important activities for realizing the vision, to reach the goal. The pace can be high since all unnecessary (non value adding) activities are avoided and also the tempo itself yields as a beneficial byproduct that thoughts, mental models, problems, caveats, etc, are kept current.
Self-organization
It is possible to rely on self-organization since all team members are fully aware of the goal of the project. They are partaking of the vision. Self-organization results in every team member´s judgment being put to use.
A common objection is "if every one can do as they please, then they will run every which way" and all command and control is made impossible. This is a completely erroneous view! The team is guided by the vision and utilizes all their power to fulfill the vision. If by chance anyone should take off in the wrong direction, then it is easy for the project manager to correct him, much easier and more efficient than continuously ordering every team member about, as in traditional methods.
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