Formalization of the Product Development Process: What Is Its Importance for the Information Flow?

In the process of products development, the common theoretical orientation is a formal process with well defined phases, becoming the process more controlled, and reducing the variability of the information flow which is main raw material for the activity of product development. But, what happen in the practical one? Has the flow of the information been facilitated with the existence of a formal product development process? This exploratory research looked for a concept for different processes of product development, from the evaluation of three enterprises, and to identify the main benefits for the flow of the information by using a formal product development process. We applied the following criteria to collect data: conceptual analysis, secondary sources, and case studies. Key-words: Product Development; Information flow; Process Formalization. benefícios da utilização de um processo formal para o fluxo da informação. Recorreram-se de dados secundários, análise conceitual e estudos de caso.