Thinking Beyond Lean: How Multi Project Management is Transforming Product Development at Toyota and O
Cusumano, along with Richard Selby, previously analyzed Bill Gates' competitive strategy inMicrosoft Secrets(1995), but he also took an earlier look at Toyota inThe Japanese Automobile Industry(1985). That book looked at the technological and managerial practices of both Toyota and Nissan. Now Cusumano returns to Toyota to tout its multiproject management process. He is a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, and this book is the culmination of a six-year study by MIT's International Motor Vehicle Program. With coauthor Nobeoka, who is an associate professor at Kobe University in Japan, Cusumano examines a new method for developing new products that relies on separate teams to analyze and incorporate various elements of existing products. This process results in lower development costs yet still yields unique products that appeal to new customers. The authors also demonstrate that this technique can be applied to products in other industries.David Rouse