This is a course about the courage to create, and to risk making mistakes in the quest for ideas that lead to a true innovation of a product, service or process. Creativity is the central focus, which might be defined as "the application of a person's mental ability and curiosity to discover something new. The act of relating previously unrelated things." More specifically, we are concerned with capitalist creativity, which means that solutions must be generated that are profitable and reflect bottom-line practicality. Students will experience what it means to fully engage their brains to discover the patterns that produce breakthrough ideas when attempting to solve business problems. Participants in this class will be exposed to a systematic approach to changing the way they create, identify and sell these ideas. They will also be introduced to a number of techniques, concepts and methods that can be added to their creative skills toolkit. The course is designed around real methods that have been proven to work in some of the leading corporations in the world. These methods are conveyed through both interactive and experiential learning approaches. Students will form teams for the purposes of developing creative solutions to problems and coming up with a "wickedly good" new product concept around which a venture can be based.

Addresses some of the important issues involved with the planning, development, and implementation of lean enterprises. People, technology, process, and management dimensions of an effective lean manufacturing company are considered in a unified framework. Particular emphasis on the integration of these dimensions across the entire enterprise, including product development, production, and the extended supply chain. Analysis tools as well as future trends and directions are explored. A key component of this subject is a team project.

The course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of how innovative activities of a firm are managed. Broadly defined, innovation is a new product, process, or idea that is available for adoption, use, or consumption. Innovation management deals with generating and screening new product/process ideas or concepts, transforming these ideas or concepts into products, processes, or services that are useful for one or more target markets, and developing strategies and tactics that ensure successful diffusion of the innovation. Since new products are essential for growth and increased profitability, companies must manage these activities.

This half-term course introduces students to problems and analysis related to the design, planning, control, and improvement of manufacturing and service operations. Class sessions involve explaining concepts, working examples, and discussing cases. A wide range of topics are covered, including: process analysis, quality management, supply chain design, procurement, and product development. Toward the end of the course, students work in teams to manage a virtual factory in a web-based simulation exercise.

This course approaches "managing the innovation process" through five levels of analysis: individual, team, network, organizational, and industrial. At each level of analysis, particular attention is given to the conditions under which innovation processes succeed and fail. The weekly readings consist of a mixture of book chapters, journal articles, and cases, and an online forum will be used for further discussion of the required readings outside of class. Tuesday classes will begin with a reflection exercise that entails critical thinking about the topic for the week, followed by an activity and lecture introducing material found both within and outside of the readings. Thursday classes will begin with a case analysis completed in small groups, followed by a discussion based on the issues raised in the case and online forum. The primary goal of the course is to expose students to a variety of perspectives on innovation, while building on past work experiences and preparing for work experiences in the future.

Introduces mechanical and economic models of assemblies and assembly automation on two levels. "Assembly in the small" comprises basic engineering models of rigid and compliant part mating and explains the operation of the Remote Center Compliance. "Assembly in the large" takes a system view of assembly, including the notion of product architecture, feature-based design and computer models of assemblies, analysis of mechanical constraint, assembly sequence analysis, tolerances, system-level design for assembly and JIT methods, and economics of assembly automation. Case studies and current research included. Class exercises and homework include analyses of real assemblies, the mechanics of part mating, and a semester long project.

Introduces mechanical and economic models of assemblies and assembly automation on two levels. "Assembly in the small" comprises basic engineering models of rigid and compliant part mating and explains the operation of the Remote Center Compliance. "Assembly in the large" takes a system view of assembly, including the notion of product architecture, feature-based design and computer models of assemblies, analysis of mechanical constraint, assembly sequence analysis, tolerances, system-level design for assembly and JIT methods, and economics of assembly automation. Case studies and current research included. Class exercises and homework include analyses of real assemblies, the mechanics of part mating, and a semester long project.

Our objective in this course is to introduce you to concepts and techniques related to the design, planning, control, and improvement of manufacturing and service operations. The course begins with a holistic view of operations, where we stress the coordination of product development, process management, and supply chain management. As the course progresses, we will investigate various aspects of each of these three tiers of operations in detail. We will cover topics in the areas of process analysis, materials management, production scheduling, quality improvement, and product design. To pursue the course objective most effectively, you will have to: 1. Study the assigned reading materials. 2. Prepare and discuss cases, readings, and exercises in class. 3. Prepare written analyses of cases.

Provides unifying framework for analyzing strategic issues in operations and manufacturing companies. Analyzes relationships between manufacturing companies and their suppliers, customers, and competitors. Also covers decisions in technology, facilities, vertical integration, human resources and other strategic areas. Explores means of competition such as cost, quality, and innovativeness as well as emerging topics such as outsourcing, globalization, and the effects of the internet. This course will address operations strategy by building on the concepts of: Reengineering and process design developed by Dr. Michael Hammer. Manufacturing strategy as developed in the literature, primarily by people at HBS. Supply chain design and 3-D concurrent engineering literature as developed in Charles Fine's book, Clockspeed: Winning Industry Control in the Age of Temporary Advantage. Perseus Books, 1999. The concepts there emphasize the necessity of integrating product strategy, manufacturing strategy, and supply chain strategy. As a result, each of these will be touched upon in the course.

Covers modern tools and methods for product design and development. The cornerstone is a project in which teams of management, engineering, and industrial design students conceive, design, and prototype a physical product. Class sessions employ cases and hands-on exercises to reinforce the key ideas. Topics include: product planning, identifying customer needs, concept generation, product architecture, industrial design, concept design, and design-for-manufacturing.

Covers modern tools and methods for product design and development. The cornerstone is a project in which teams of management, engineering, and industrial design students conceive, design, and prototype a physical product. Class sessions employ cases and hands-on exercises to reinforce the key ideas. Topics include: product planning, identifying customer needs, concept generation, product architecture, industrial design, concept design, and design-for-manufacturing.

This course has been conceived and designed for SDM's "product development" track to be developed in conjunction with the Center for Innovation in Product Development. It will require a substantial, team-based design project. The goal will be to define industrially relevant design projects in the SDM sponsor companies and at MIT. Teams will document their efforts in a written report and make a formal presentation of their results.

This course introduces writing, graphics, meetings, oral presentation, collaboration, and design as tools for product development. The communication instruction is embedded in design projects that require students to work in teams to conceive, design, prototype and evaluate energy related products. The communication instruction focuses on the communication tasks that are integral to this design process, ranging, across design notebooks, email communications, informal oral presentations, meeting etiquette, literature searches, white papers reports, and formal presentations. In addition to the assignments specific to product development, a few assignments, especially reading and reflection, will address the cultural situation of engineers and engineering in the world at large.

Subject focuses on project management principles, methods, and tools to effectively plan and implement successful developments. Material is divided into five major sections: project organization, planning, monitoring, control, and learning. Emphasis on new methodologies and tools such as deterministic, probabilistic and resource management, as well as project system dynamics and measurements. Topics are covered from strategic, tactical, and operational perspectives. Term projects analyze and evaluate past and ongoing projects in student's area of interest. Projects used to apply concepts discussed in class.