Product Planning - Compulsory Module

Prof. Moritz Göldner

Credit Points: 6 (3+3)

Semester: 1

Lecturer: Dr. Moritz Göldner

Examination Form: Written exam

The module Product Planning is divided into two courses:

  • Product Planning Lecture

  • Product Planning Seminar

The student will gain insights into the product planning process and methods, design thinking process and methods as well as user integration.

  • This interactive lecture is designed to understand major issues, activities, and tools in the context of systematic product planning, a key activity for managing the front-end of innovation, like:

    • Systematic scanning of markets for innovation opportunities

    • Understanding strengths/weakness and specific core competences of a firm as platforms for innovation

    • Exploring relevant sources for innovation (customers, suppliers, Lead Users, etc.)

    • Developing ideas for radical innovation, relying on the creativeness of employees, using techniques to stimulate creativity and creating a stimulating environment.

    • Transferring ideas for innovation into feasible concepts which have a high market attractively.

    Learning Outcomes:

    Students will gain insights in product planning process (process-related aspects, organisational aspects, human-resource related aspects & working tools, methods and instruments) in addition to knowlegde about design thinking (process, methods & user integration).

    Content:

    1. Development Processes and Organizations

    2. Product Planning

    3. Identifying Customer Needs

    4. Product Specifications

    5. Concept Generation

    6. Concept Selection & Testing

    7. Product Architecture

    8. Design for Manufacturing & Design for Sustainability

  • We will use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach for the Product Planning seminar. Problem-based learning is a learning method, where students try to find solutions to problems on their own. One central problem is given in a short case study, which has to be evaluated by a group of students. The lecturers will give guidance during the 7-step process that will be introduced in the first exercise.

    Learning Outcomes:

    The goals of PBL are to strengthen the connection between theory and practice, to understand complex relationships within the subject “Product Planning” and to motivate students to participate actively in the exercise. Further, students should familiarize themselves with searching and working with scientific literature. Students will present their findings using PowerPoint / Miro.

    Content:

    Three Problem-Based Learning exercises and a two-day Design Thinking Workshop