Publications
Publications
- November 2004 (Revised June 2005)
- HBS Case Collection
Designing Products and Processes: Aligning Hierarchical Problem Levels with Problem-Solving Team Forms
Abstract
All complex systems have four distinct hierarchical design levels: system objectives, architecture, interfaces, and components. Each level has a distinct design question associated with it. Distinguishing among these levels and understanding the questions associated with each offers insight into the evolution of products and markets as well as the principles by which organizations should be structured to accomplish each task. The first section of the note contains examples that illustrate the four levels of complex-product design and how each level cascades naturally to the next. The second section discusses the implications of the hierarchy in terms of project management, product evolution, and market evolution. The third section introduces the idea that a similar framework of hierarchical design levels can be used when thinking about the design of complex processes.
Keywords
Citation
Spear, Steven J. "Designing Products and Processes: Aligning Hierarchical Problem Levels with Problem-Solving Team Forms." Harvard Business School Background Note 605-039, November 2004. (Revised June 2005.)