Knowledge Management in Set Based Lean Product Development Process

The objective of the research is to examine and develop new methods and tools for management of knowledge in Lean Product development. Lean Product development attempts to apply lean philosophy and principles within product development process. Special emphasis is given to the so-called Set Based Lean Design principles. Such product development process requires innovative methodologies and tools for capturing, reuse and provision of knowledge needed for decision making, as well as advanced ICT environment for Knowledge Management (KM). A Set Based Lean Design toolkit is developed, aiming to support the product developer in making decisions during the development process. This toolkit includes the Lean Knowledge Life Cycle methodology and a set of software tools for KM. The application of the methods and tools is investigated within large automotive industry and its supplier.