R&D / Engineering is the primary resource to support the development of any new physical product. It is common for companies to overload the Engineering department with too many projects for the given resources and schedules. PD-Trak will help rationalize what can realistically be accomplished. It will aid Engineering with the following functions.
Project Portfolio Management tools will help to identify and plan the highest priority projects for the organization to undertake.
Pipeline and Resource Management tools are used to manage the start of projects to prevent the product development pipeline from becoming overloaded. This resources can be planned and assigned to prevent overloading Engineering staff and create unrealistic expectations. This will improve time-to-market and efficient use of resources. Engineering management will have better visibility of what projects its personnel are working on and what its resource availability is to optimize utilization of Engineering resources.
Product Development Tools are available in PD-Trak to support building parts lists prior to more formal configuration control in an ERP or PLM system. There is also templates for quality function deployment (QFD), failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), control plans, and design for manufacturability (DFM) evaluation.