## 4 Case Study
### Stage 4: Quantifying the Influence of PLM Functional Areas on Optimizing NPD Capabilities  
The modified QFD approach is employed to analyze the influence of PLM functional aspects on the company's NPD capabilities. The proposed QFD analytic process correlates the PLM functional aspects (\(t_{j}\)) defined within the PLM reference functional model (Figure 2) with the reference NPD practices (\(d_{i}\)), systematized within the NPD evaluation model (Figure 3). A QFD team comprised of three types of professional experts was convened to assess the relationship degrees to which PLM functional aspects support the implementation of NPD practices in company-specific contexts including the following:  
* Company employees with a profound understanding of internal processes, contextual circumstances, and the company's PLM initiative objectives--five experts;
* Experts with specialized knowledge and practical experience in PLM implementation--three experts;
* Representatives from the academic community: university professors with expertise in relevant scientific fields--four experts. Linguistic correlation ratings gathered from the QFD team are mathematically described using IT2F logic (\(\widetilde{x}_{ij}^{l}\)) (refer to Table 2) and then aggregated using Equation (18). As the NPD practices' relative weights (\(\widetilde{w}_{i}\)), QFD analysis considers the enhancement priorities determined within the previously step. The IT2 FEDAS method is employed to determine the weight vector (\(\widetilde{y}_{j}\)) of the PLM functional aspects. This procedure is analogous to the one detailed in the previous step. The findings are summarized in Table 11.  
The QFD analysis allows for an evaluation of the global impact of each PLM functional aspect on the company's NPD process, based on which it is possible to determine the relative priorities of PLM implementation efforts. These insights can be considered significant for setting PLM strategy from the perspective of bolstering innovation potential. For instance, by analyzing the rankings provided by EDAS, we can conclude that the key functional aspects the PLM strategy should encompass are Cross-domain Product Design Collaboration, Product Structure Management, and Design Release and Change Management. These aspects significantly impact the company's NPD capabilities, indicating that integrating them into the PLM strategy could greatly enhance NPD performance. For instance, Cross-domain Product Design Collaboration (ECAD, MCAD, and Software Development Management) enables the formation of a single, secure source of multi-domain product data through the comprehensive integration of mechanical, electrical, and software data. This integration empowers multi-domain design teams to collaborate more effectively across concurrent design environments, from requirements to design (mechanical, electrical, and software) to validation and verification. It aids them in understanding the complex relationships and dependencies among components across all product configurations, assessing the cross-domain impact of product changes, and enhancing the traceability of cross-domain requirements. Consequently, it enhances engineering efficiencies, supports concurrent engineering, and minimizes errors and warranty costs. At the same time, it reduces the time needed to implement engineering changes and develop new design variants and configurations, ultimately shortening the overall time to market. On the other hand, Design Release and Change Management empowers companies to create, review, and release changes to the product definition and disseminate them across the enterprise, streamlining these activities with strict controls and full traceability. It enhances visibility and associativity, ensuring that all changes are documented and that NPD stake holders have access to the most up-to-date product definition information. Additionally, it promotes multi-domain involvement, allowing cross-functional teams to remain aligned during new product development.