Effective R&D project management through effort classification

Abstract

Summary form only given. It is noted that with increased pressure on corporate and government R&D organizations to engage in projects that have high payoff potential, and the need to effectively manage these efforts is very real. In such an environment, the R&D project management infrastructure must not only support the rapid movement from research to development stages, but must also not overly constrain the creative process. In one government research office, the key factor in implementing this infrastructure was found to be the proper classification of the effort at inception. Once classified, the appropriate level of structure could be applied on a case-by-case basis. To further support the introduction of this infrastructure in the organization, an expert system was developed to assist researchers in this classification and suggest a project life cycle tailored to the project type.<>