The top product development program at Toyota is the chief engineer (CE). CE is the project leader, project manager and technical leader all rolled into one. CE designs the system and is ultimately responsible for delivering value to the customer and the program's commercial success. CE therefore is usually sponsored by someone in vice-president level.
In Toyota product development, managers with no technical skills are moved to manage other things. Knowledgeable engineers without interest in people and money are sent to R&D.
During the program, CE becomes the primary voice of the customer. Because of this, a person with the background and experience to establish an emotional connection with the target customer is selected as CE for a program.
Therefore selecting chief engineer for a program is the critical first step of Toyota product development process.
Once selected, CE focuses on value discovery process and value definition. CE then communicates customer-defined value & vehicle-level performance objectives and aligns the vehicle-level performance goals of the entire program team.
Another interesting thing is the document called shijisho produced by CE. This is a concept paper that outlines the CE's vision for the new vehicle. The literal translation of shijisho is "direct order document" almost like a military order.
No comments:
Post a Comment