Quality assessment considerations in project management of new product development - A case study

Abstract. In the development of a new product, plans are put in place to ensure the successful completion of the endeavour. As the elements involved in developing the end result can be numerous and sometimes unknown to some participants, poor communication among team members is almost certain to occur. This will most likely lead to low-quality work they perform together. Many methods have been developed to identify causes of poor results. One of them is the Ishikawa diagram. The paper proposes a quick method to be used in numerous situations that arise in the project management of a NPD. The method relies on Axiomatic Design Theory, which easily breaks down items to a very finite level of information. A case study will be utilised to exemplify the benefits of the method. The results confirm the usefulness of the proposed method for identifying high-risk elements that could arise in the project management of a NPD.