Increasing information sharing during new product development projects

• Main Authors: Eliasson, Mathilda, Azrak, Helena
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Tekniska Högskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, JTH, Logistik och verksamhetsledning 2019
• Subjects: Information Sharing; Knowledge Transfer; Knowledge Management; New Product Development; Product Development; Transport Systems and Logistics; Transportteknik och logistik
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-46877

Purpose – The purpose of the research is to increase the understanding of how insufficient information sharing between internal stakeholders can be mitigated during new product development projects. Two research questions were formulated to conduct answers to the purpose.  Why is it crucial to mitigate insufficient information sharing between internal stakeholders during new product development projects? How can potential challenges during new product development projects be mitigated through information sharing between internal stakeholders? Method – To create an understanding of information sharing a literature review was conducted, which formed the foundation of the theoretical framework. Through a case study at SAAB Training & Simulation, interviews were used as the main source for empirical data. Document studies and observations were used to triangulate the findings. The collected data and theoretical framework were analyzed and discussed to propose improvements. Findings – The research findings indicate that an insufficient information flow can cause several challenges related to deadlines, profit and how information is interpreted. It should therefore be a prioritization for an organization to constantly improve how information is shared between internal stakeholders during new product development projects. Additionally, the research analysis suggests that organizations’ need to allocate more time for educational opportunities. Implications – The research highlighted a new perspective on previous research within the area. Through the research analysis statements and theories made by other researchers were further strengthened. The research suggests ways of improving information sharing between internal stakeholders. The result can be used by other industrial organizations working with new product development projects to improve their information sharing to mitigate challenges connected to insufficient information sharing. Limitations – Due to the complexity of information sharing within new product development projects, the research was limited to one case company. Additionally, mainly managers were interviewed which posed a risk that the collected data only provided an overview rather than a deep insight in the processes of sharing information between internal stakeholders. If the authors were to use several organizations and conduct more interviews, the results could increase the credibility and generalizability of the research.