Advances in Product Family and Product Platform Design

Book excerpt: Advances in Product Family and Product Platform Design: Methods & Applications highlights recent advances that have been made to support product family and product platform design along with successful applications in industry. This book provides not only motivation for product family and product platform design (i.e., address questions about “why and when should we platform”) but also methods and tools to support the design and development of families of products based on shared platforms (i.e. address the “how” and “what” questions about platforming). It begins with a general overview of product family design to introduce the general reader to the topic and then progress to more advanced topics and design theory to help designers, engineers, and project managers plan, architect, and implement platform-based product development strategies for their company. Finally, successful industry applications provide readers and practitioners with case studies and “talking points” to become platform advocates and leaders within their organization.