DRM Associates offers an extensive range of workshops to provide practical training in new product development; best practices; and the various methods and tools to plan, manage and support product development, portfolio and pipeline management, project management, and engineering management. These workshops are primarily held onsite at your location and often are customized to your products, process and business environment.
Assessing and Improving Product Development Workshop
This one-half-day workshop covers the methodology for benchmarking best practices to assess and improve an organization’s product development environment using DRM Associates proven Product Development Assessment (PDA) methodology and/or the Product Development Best Practices and Assessment (PDBPA) software or IPPD Program Assessment (IPPDPA) software.
Best Practices of New Product Development Workshop
This one- to five-day workshop is based on our framework of 270 best practices for product development that we have maintained over the last nineteen years. These best practices address the dimensions of organization, process, design optimization, and technology tools. The workshop can include exercises to reinforce the concepts presented. A three- to five-day version of the workshop can be oriented towards product development professionals and functional managers or a one- or two-day version can be oriented to executive or functional management.
Certified Product Manager® Workshop
The objective of the Certified Product Manager Workshop is to provide the training and knowledge to achieve certification as a “Certified Product Manager” through the Association of International Product Marketing and Management (AIPMM). The workshop includes the certification exam on the final day. The five-day Workshop focuses on the entire product lifecycle – product inception through launch through obsolescence/refresh. The Workshop provide valuable training in addition to exam preparation.
Concept Development Workshop
This three-day, workshop addresses the process for determining customer needs and requirements (voice of the customer), developing a product specification, creating concept alternatives, and evaluating and selecting a preferred concept approach. The workshop is spaced out over the course of this process to provide on-the-job training with an actual project.
Critical Chain Project Management Workshop
Critical Chain (first introduced in 1997 by Theory of Constraints guru, Eli Goldratt) is a practical and proven method to manage the risk and
uncertainty which is typically found in product development projects. This two-day, practical, hands-on workshop covers Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) from project planning to execution.
Design for Manufacturability/Assembly Workshop
This three-day workshop is oriented to development personnel. The workshop includes many examples to illustrate DFM/A principles and exercises to develop practical DFM/A skills analyzing a design for manufacturability. It also introduces a DFM/A assessment methodology that can be subsequently used within the company to analyze its products. The third day is primarily spent analyzing either an existing company product
or products under development using either commercial DFM/A software or our DFM/A analysis methodology.
Design for Serviceability Workshop
This one-day, practical, hands-on workshop covers the principles of design for serviceability and maintainability illustrating these principles with numerous examples of good and bad application examples. The workshop includes exercises to reinforce understanding of principles. The final exercise uses one or more of your company’s products to analyze its serviceability and identify changes to improve the serviceability of the design.
Design for Six Sigma Workshop
This three-day workshop covers the principles of design for six sigma following the IDOV (identify, design, optimize and validate) framework. It
covers the various principles, tools and methodologies related to each phase of the IDOV framework with examples and exercises to develop an understanding of the DFSS approach.
Design to Cost Workshop
This three-day workshop is oriented towards product development professionals and management responsible for developing products that meet customer affordability requirements. While it addresses the concepts of target costing and cost as an independent variable (CAIV), it primarily focuses on design-to-cost (DTC) and the tools and methodologies to achieve DTC including use of QFD to balance cost with product performance/capability, design for manufacturability/assembly, DFX, value analysis, use of product cost models, and integrating these methodologies into an organization’s development process.
Design of Experiments Workshop
This practical, two-day workshop serves as a broad introduction to designed experiments including fractional factorial (screening experiments) and response surface studies. It further teaches you to perform one type of designed experiment called a screening experiment. A screening experiment is a systematic approach to identifying the key input parameters of a process or product that affect the output performance. You will become proficient at designing, analyzing and interpreting screening experiments by working three real-life problems.
Engineering Project Planning and Leadership
Engineers involved in product development face many difficult challenges above and beyond solving technical problems. Engineering projects require skills such as leadership, planning, estimating, scheduling, collaboration and communication skills. All individual contributors need these skills, and for those who lead projects and teams of any size – these skills are critical. This two-day workshop educates project leaders and individual contributors about the fundamentals and some advanced project leadership and planning topics and enables them to complete projects more successfully.
Essential Interpersonal Skills for Technical Professionals
This one-day workshop addresses the essential interpersonal and business skills needed by technical professional focusing the most important competencies that apply to most technical jobs. Participants engage in exercises and leave with tools that help them continuously develop these competencies.
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Workshop
This one-day hands-on workshop teaches the process of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). The workshop uses a series of exercises to walk-through the process.
High-Impact Product Marketing and Management Workshop
This workshop is three- to five-days in duration and can be customized to the markets and products of the organization. In addition, the workshop can be focused more on the product management function or the product marketing function. The workshop includes exercises and case studies to enhance the learning experience.
Innovation and Problem-Solving with TRIZ Workshop
This one- to three-day day workshop presents the concepts of TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem-Solving. The workshop covers the the various TRIZ tools and methods and how they can be used to spur innovation and solve tricky engineering problems. It illustrates these tools and techniques with case studies to make TRIZ practical. It covers TRIZ in a systems engineering framework and addresses related concepts such as Axiomatic Design.
Integrated Product & Process Development Workshop
This one- to three-day workshop covers the concepts and best practices on IPPD. It is intended for government contractors, government acquisition organizations, and program offices. The workshop covers program planning with IPPD; integrated product teams; integration of subcontractor, contractor and customer; requirements definition, an IPPD-oriented development process, design automation technology, and implementing IPPD practices. The workshop can include exercises to reinforce the concepts presented. This workshop can be oriented towards customers, program management, product development professionals and functional managers. The one-day version can be oriented to executive management.
Leadership Skills for Engineers and Technical Professionals
This one-day workshop teaches skills needed to lead projects, drive innovation, and influence others in an engineering role or similar technical role. Participants learn the differences between leadership and management and how to develop specific leadership skills that are important to ALL engineers and technical professionals. Participants engage in exercises that assess their individual leadership abilities and provide guidance for further skill development.
Lean Design Workshop
This three- to five-day workshop teaches how to develop a product design that maximizes the customers value proposition, thereby meeting customer needs with a minimum of waste. It begins with the principles of lean and how they apply to a product’s design. It covers understanding the voice of the customer to how to most cost effectively address the customer’s needs with the product’s design. The principles covered in this workshop are illustrated with numerous examples and reinforced through a series of exercises.
Lean Product Development Workshop
This two- to three-day workshop addresses the principles and practices of lean product development which is focused on reducing waste, work-in-process, and cycle time for product development. It also addresses lean design which focuses on reducing waste in the form of higher cost and poor quality in the design of the product itself.
Lean Project Management Workshop
This is a two-day, practical, hands-on workshop to apply lean principles to managing multiple projects in a product development system. Create a “PULL” system for projects that reduces queues and optimizes development batch sizes. Reduce waste in project planning. Increase speed (i.e., reduce cycle times) in project execution and deliver projects on-time.
Managing Product Development Workshop
The one- to three-day workshop presents an integrated approach to managing product development covering project management, process management, pipeline management and portfolio management. It is intended for process improvement team members, project managers, team leaders, functional managers, and executive management.
Managing the Product Lifecycle to Maximize Profitability Workshop
In vigorously competitive markets characterised by compressed product life spans, increased competition, and profit pressure, you need to understand how to assess the performance of your current product or service within the context of established business plans and marketing
programs, and how to revise your strategies and tactics to sustain the product. This two- to three-day workshop is intended for product managers, marketing personnel, project managers and other development personnel to address how to monitor the marketplace and competition, plan your product, analyze profitability, launch your product, extend its life and finally, phase-out your product at the end of its life.
Mistake-Proofing by Design Workshop
This one- to two-day workshop describes the principles of mistake-proofing or poka-yoke and the evolutionary step of addressing mistake-proofing during development versus installing mistake-proofing devices and approaches on the factory floor after the product has been put into production. The workshop includes many practical examples to illustrate the principles. The second day includes exercises to develop mistake-proofing approaches with your current products and/or conducting a factory walk-through to explore mistake-proofing opportunities.
Optimizing Time to Market and Efficiency
This one- to three-day workshop focuses on key aspects of the product development cycle where significant time to market and efficiency improvement opportunities exist in most organizations. Participants learn how to assess and balance tradeoffs that affect both time to market and efficiency. Topics can include how to improve project performance through the product proposal and definition phase, how to increase innovative contributions, and an overview or in-depth analysis of technology roadmapping can be presented. Other topics might be included depending on specific needs.
Portfolio Management Workshop
This two-day workshop is intended to teach participants the principles, practices and methods of portfolio management. A second objective is to define the portfolio management process, practices and responsibilities within your company. It is intended for executive management, product managers, engineering management, marketing management, and portfolio analysts responsible for or supporting portfolio management. The workshop includes a series of discussions and planning steps to define the portfolio management process, practices and methods to be used within your organization.
Product Data Management/Product Lifecycle Management Workshop
This one-day workshop describes the elements of product data management (PDM) or product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, discusses how to effectively use a PDM/PLM system, and the process of implementing a product data management or product lifecycle management system.
Product Development Team/Integrated Product Team Workshop
This is a one-day program that describes how to effectively form and operate product development or integrated product teams (PDT/IPT) teams. The workshop is oriented towards management to provide an understanding of the organizational environment that leads to effective teams. It covers PDT/IPT composition and organization, roles and responsibilities, PDT/IPT management, issue resolution, and the critical success factors for effective PDT’s or IPT’s.
Product Launch Workshop
This one-day workshop addresses the practices and required planning for a successful product launch. It is intended for Product Managers, Marketing personnel, Project Managers, and Sales management who have responsibility for or support go-to-market activities. The workshop will not only cover the process of a successful product launch, but will also provide supporting worksheets and templates that can used in your organization.
Project Management Fundamentals for Product Development Workshop
This two-day workshop teaches fundamentals of project management in a practical, discussion-based forum. The scope includes both the process of project management as well as the skills needed to be an effective project manager. Prior to the workshop some historic projects will be identified to use as case studies to be used during the training. For each major topic these projects will be discussed to illustrate areas of historic success and areas needing improvement. The final step in the workshop is to develop an action plan to improve the project management process and skills of the participants.
Project Management with Microsoft Project™ Workshop
This one- to two-day, hands-on workshop covers project management basic and intermediate skills and addresses how to develop a project plan and manage execution of the project using the Microsoft Project™ software. This workshop is specifically oriented to product development projects. The workshop illustrates the project management process with an actual project and then reinforces understanding with a series of exercises using MS Project™. The standard exercises can also be adapted to plan the participant’s projects to create more immediate value. The workshop can be be adapted to cover the features available in MS Project 2000™, MS Project 2003™, or MS Project 2007™.
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Workshop
This is a two- to three-day, hands-on workshop. Workshop exercises utilizing actual product hardware are used extensively to develop a practical understanding of how to use QFD to capture the voice of the customer (VOC), perform competitive analysis, develop a product strategy, and derive product requirements. Part of the third day can be used to transition from the classroom to the workplace using QFD with your own products.
R&D Performance Measurement and KPI Systems
This two-day workshop provides a comprehensive investigation of proven methods for measuring and improving R&D performance considering the broad range of factors (Key Performance Indicators or KPI’s) that affect the R&D function. Details related to the most relevant performance indicators
and metrics are explored in depth. The primary objective of this course is to help participants apply the “right” measurement systems and take appropriate actions to improve results.
Requirements Definition Workshop
This two- to three-day workshop is intended to develop the practical skills to determine customer needs and derive product requirements and critical to quality characteristics. It is intended for product managers, project managers, design engineers and marketing personnel responsible for developing a product definition or product requirements document. The workshop uses a series of exercises with a real product to develop a practical understanding of the requirements definition process. The three-day version of the workshop is intended for more complex products that require a flow-down of requirements and further requirements definition at a subsystem, module, or key component level.
Robust Tolerance Analysis Workshop
This two-day workshop teaches you a practical approach for selecting targets and tolerances for both products and processes in order to improve quality, reduce costs and reduce variation. Many real world examples are worked in class including the design of a pump and the setting of a process window for a heat seal machine. The course provides practical strategies and tools for dealing with real-world complexities.
Target Costing Workshop
This is a three-day workshop for management and development personnel responsible for establishing and using a target costing process. It addresses establishing a target price, determining the target cost, tracking achievement of the target cost, use of product cost models to support decision-making, and design-to-cost techniques to achieve cost reduction.
Team Building Workshop
This two-day workshop is structured with short presentations on each topic and includes extensive team exercises and interactive learning experiences. It provides team members and team leaders with specific skills to work together effectively as part of a product development team/integrated product team.
Team Launch Workshop
This two-day workshop is designed for new or existing teams responsible for product development. Its objective is to improve team dynamics; accelerate the stages of growth toward a high performing team; and develop an understanding of the IPT’s responsibilities, plans and team interfaces with the rest of the extended enterprise. The workshop combines teambuilding exercises (meeting skills, communication skills, personality styles) and planning exercises focused at the details of the team function (roles and relationships, team inputs/outputs, team charter, team deliverables and schedules). Pre-workshop preparation is required to support workshop exercises.
Team Leader Workshop
This one-day workshop provides an understanding of leadership vs. management, develops leadership skills, determines team leader responsibilities, teaches how to motivate people, addresses personality and style differences, and develops skills to facilitate improvement in teamwork. The workshop combines leadership exercises and group process exercises to develop leadership, coaching, and facilitative skills necessary for an effective team leader. Pre-workshop preparation is required to support workshop exercises.
Tear-Down Analysis Workshop
This four- to five-day workshop acquaints participants with Japanese style tear-down analysis. Workshop participants should also expect to develop proposals ready for implementation on any projects approved for the workshop. This method of teardown analysis has demonstrated its substantial impact to the margins of corporations across Japan. All tear-down techniques are covered in this workshop: Dynamic Tear-down, Cost Tear-down, Material Tear-down, Matrix Tear-down, Process Tear-down and Static Tear-down. Those methods that are appropriate are used for the team analysis. Creativity and idea evaluation are a part of all workshops. While the workshop includes formalized training, most of workshop involves hands-on tear-down analysis of your and your competitor’s products. Formal report-outs of results are all tailored to meet the needs of the client.
Value Analysis/Function Analysis Workshop
This one-day workshop covers the concepts and methods of value analysis or function analysis including the Function Analysis System Technique (FAST). The workshop includes hands-on exercises to learn by doing and begins the transition back to the workplace by applying FAST to a real world product from your company. It is intended for product development professionals or members of a cost reduction team.
Value Management – SAVE Certified Module 1
The objective of this five-day workshop is to acquaint participants with the methodology of Value Management (VM) and its decision-making process. Workshop participants should also expect to develop proposals ready for implementation on any projects approved for the workshop. This Module I course teaches VM in a hands-on, project-based manner. During the workshop, participants will engage in “real-time” decision-making using VM tools, to ensure quality and value while reducing the cost of their projects. Participants will apply the VM methodology and decision-making skills to an actual project to gain practical experience using what they learn. Since this seminar is approved by SAVE International, individuals planning to become Associate or Certified Value Specialists need to attend. Upon completion, each participant will be awarded a certificate and those wishing to take the SAVE AVS exam may do so, providing advance notice is given.
Voice of the Customer Workshop
This two- to three-day, hands-on workshop addresses the importance of capturing the voice of the customer (VOC) to drive product development, presents how to undertake various VOC methodologies, discusses when they should be used, and leads participants through the process of planning how to capture the VOC. The workshop includes exercises to develop practical experience with various VOC methods and results in the development of a VOC plan for an actual product opportunity.