In a competitive environment that becomes more and more intense and dynamic, new product development is a focal point of competition. This is especially true in a rapidly changing area like semiconductor industry, where the survival or prosperity of a company depends on its time to market performance.
The main objective of this thesis is to establish practicable methods to reduce cycle time of new product development in a semiconductor firm. To this end, we first refine the managerial nodes, on which the framework of an integrated management system is based.
Secondly, we investigate what kinds of knowledge are to be acquired in each stage of the process, and we evaluate their relative importance. Then we investigate the management approaches to acquire, to transfer, and to accumulate more important knowledge of each stage. We suggest a systematic learning approach for effective knowledge management.
Thirdly we devise a new classification scheme for development projects based on the level of organizational knowledge. Finally we establish an effective learning strategy considering the capabilities of development and manufacturing divisions.
