An Approach for Systematic Planning of Project Management Methods and Project Processes in Product Development

The development of modern products in mechanical engineering is characterized by a high degree of individuality. Different boundary conditions (project context) such as team size or budget result in a wide variety of development projects. The project leader is confronted with the challenge of selecting the suitable project management methods in order to ensure an effective development of the product. However, in most cases, the selected methods are not directly applicable. Therefore, the methods have to be tailored to the specific project context. In addition, project management methods have to be considered adequately in process planning for a problem-free execution. Hence, this paper presents an approach for a methodology to support the project leader in selecting and tailoring project management methods and project processes. Finally, the methods can be integrated into the project process in an appropriate way.