Product design discovery-driven planning

The approaches listed above have value for both individual company and supply chain applications. Two other techniques have particular value in improving SCM practice during product design (1) discovery-driven planning and (2) the employment of stages and gates to manage product introduction. Both tools have natural extensions to supply chain formulation as the product is developed. 

Discovery-driven planning will be particularly useful in avoiding mismatches between customer demand and supply chain design. For any one company, a new product or delivery process can fundamentally alter the economics of present supply chains. It might have the effect of rendering them useless for the innovation. It would be an error to assume a new product should ride to market on the back of a legacy supply chain that will not work. Discovery-driven planning is a way to avoid the trap. 

Like discovery-driven planning, stage-gate design places checkpoints in the development process for review of progress and outcomes. However, it only focuses on the pre-launch phase of the product life cycle, not the post-launch phase. Discovery-driven planning extends further into the product life cycle, covering both before and after launch periods of the product life cycle. 

Because the plarmer must docmnent performance in the supply chain, discovery-driven planning is valuable for guiding supply chain planning. It is also an excellent time to quantify the irmovative or functional supply chain design. The specifications will be different for the two types. Functional products will show narrower margins so the supply chain design will emphasize... 

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