The Transdisciplinary Product Development Lifecycle Model

Abstract

In this paper, a new product development lifecycle model, the Transdisciplinary Product Development Lifecycle (TPDL) model, is explained. This new model is based on the axiomatic design (AD) method developed by Suh; hence it inherits the benefits of applying AD to product development. In this model, the AD method is extended to cover the whole product development lifecycle, including the test domain, and new domain characteristic vectors are introduced to systematically capture and manage the input constraints and system components. The TPDL model helps develop, capture, and present both the big-picture and a detailed view of the product development knowledge, including design and requirement traceability knowledge. The objectives of the TDPL model are to guide the designers, developers, and other members of a transdisciplinary product development team throughout the development effort as well as to help capture, maintain, and manage the knowledge produced during the product development process. The TDPL model aims to improve the quality of the design, requirements management, change management, project management, and communication between stakeholders as well as to shorten the development time and reduce the development cost.