Abstract
This paper presents outcomes from a research programme aimed at developing new tools and methodologies to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rapid product development (RPD). The authors suggest that current education strategies for the teaching of RPD tools and methodologies may be of limited value unless those strategies also involve consideration of the data and information management systems in which the knowledge is to be used. The research identified knowledge of product data management systems, particular to the discrete product development industries in New Zealand, which we believe needed to be transferred to the industrial sector to assist in the rapid development of products. These findings have led to iterative modifications to a Computer-Aided Product Development (CAPD) course for final-year undergraduate students, so that they can be better equipped in the management of data associated with RPD tools and methodologies. The paper builds on previously published work by the authors and describes the mechanisms by which students' awareness of the associated technologies, methods and data is increased.
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