Sérgio Luis da Silva

Can Agile Project Management Be Adopted by Industries Other than Software Development

This research paper presents evidence from an exploratory survey on the use of agile project management (APM) practices and the presence of APM enablers in 19 medium-and large-sized companies from different industry sectors considering innovative projects. The results show that these companies are possibly struggling to use their current management practices in the face of different project challenges. Additionally, the presence of some APM enablers indicates opportunities to adapt the APM theory for different companies other than those in software development. Future research should explore the correlation between APM practices and enablers in order to develop “hybrid” management models for different industries.

Fatores críticos de sucesso no gerenciamento de projetos de desenvolvimento de produto em empresas de base tecnológica de pequeno e médio porte

Technology based companies (TBCs) are associated with technological innovation, mainly of products, what makes product development a critical process for them. This process can be evaluated using the product developed considering its success or failure. Furthermore, the degree of such success depends on managerial factors applied during the project development. The objective of this article is to identify and analyze critical success factors in the project management of new products development in small and medium size TBCs. The developed projects analyzed were carried out by medical and hospital equipment companies (MHE) or by process control automation (PCA) sectors, both located in the State of Sao Paulo. The research method was based on a mapping survey applying a structured questionnaire to some companies. The data were collected from 62 companies, namely 30 in the MHE sector and 32 in the PCA sector, which have been carrying out those projects already. The results show that new products project management in TBCs should involve actions adding more value to the pre-development activities such as the assessment of the new product market potential, effective understanding of the market needs and synergy between the new product/project, and other companys products/projects. Besides, the results also increase the importance of improving managerial skills and project managers (or leaders) interpersonal relationship. Generally, during the product development, these managers (or leaders) should overcome the companys managerial and organizational deficiencies.Technology based companies (TBCs) are associated with technological innovation, mainly of products, what makes product development a critical process for them. This process can be evaluated using the product developed considering its success or failure. Furthermore, the degree of such success depends on managerial factors applied during the project development. The objective of this article is to identify and analyze critical success factors in the project management of new products development in small and medium size TBCs. The developed projects analyzed were carried out by medical and hospital equipment companies (MHE) or by process control automation (PCA) sectors, both located in the State of Sao Paulo. The research method was based on a mapping survey applying a structured questionnaire to some companies. The data were collected from 62 companies, namely 30 in the MHE sector and 32 in the PCA sector, which have been carrying out those projects already. The results show that new products project management in TBCs should involve actions adding more value to the pre-development activities such as the assessment of the new product market potential, effective understanding of the market needs and synergy between the new product/project, and other companys products/projects. Besides, the results also increase the importance of improving managerial skills and project managers (or leaders) interpersonal relationship. Generally, during the product development, these managers (or leaders) should overcome the companys managerial and organizational deficiencies.

Product-portfolio management: A framework based on Methods, Organization, and Strategy

Product-portfolio management is a decisive element for the good performance of new product development and compliance with business objectives because it not only defines new product projects but also defines revisions, updates, and even decisions regarding the discontinuation of products that are produced and commercialized. Decision-making evaluations related to the portfolio are considered one of the main critical factors for success associated with new product development, and these decisions’ primary characteristics are the high number of project ideas with great uncertainty about results, making the management complex. This article proposes a framework with the specific objective of presenting an approach that could be useful to product-portfolio management. The framework proposed in this article presents a holistic perspective of product-portfolio management, suggesting the use of a set of formal management methods for not only evaluating product projects but also extending to organizational aspects and including them in strategic planning and portfolio reviews.

Protein synthesis and degradation gene SNPs related to feed intake, feed efficiency, growth, and ultrasound carcass traits in Nellore cattle.

We looked for possible associations of SNPs in genes related to protein turnover, with growth, feed efficiency and carcass traits in feedlot Nellore cattle. Purebred Nellore bulls and steers (N = 290; 378 ± 42 kg body weight, 23 months ± 42 days old) were evaluated for daily feed intake, body weight gain (BWG), gross feed efficiency, feed conversion ratio, partial efficiency of growth, residual feed intake (RFI), ultrasound backfat, rump fat, and ribeye area. Genotypes were obtained for SNPs in the growth hormone receptor (GHR-1 and GHR-2); calpain (CAPN4751); calpastatin (UoGCAST); ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2I (UBE2I-1 and UBE2I-2); R3H domain containing 1 (R3HDM1-1, -2, -3, and -4), ring finger protein 19 (RNF19); proteasome 26S subunit, non-ATPase, 13 (PSMD13); ribosomal protein, large, P2 (RPLP2); and isoleucine-tRNA synthetase 2, mitochondrial (IARS2) genes. Allelic substitution, additive and dominant effects were tested and molecular breeding values were computed. CAPN4751, GHR-1 and -2, IARS2, R3HDM1-4, and UoGCAST were found to be normally segregating polymorphisms. Additive and dominance effects were observed on BWG, feed efficiency and carcass traits, although dominant effects predominated. Significant allelic substitution effects were observed for CAPN4751, GHR-1 and -2, and UoGCAST on BWG, gross feed efficiency, RFI, and carcass traits, under single- or multiple-marker analyses. Correlations between molecular breeding values and phenotypes were low, excepted for RFI, based on allelic substitution estimates obtained by stepwise linear regression. We conclude that SNPs in genes related to protein turnover are related to economically important traits in Nellore cattle.

Gestão do conhecimento: uma revisão crítica orientada pela abordagem da criação do conhecimento

Uma bem-sucedida sistematizacao da gestao do conhecimento deve considerar que o conhecimento pode existir em dois formatos, tanto na mente das pessoas, quanto em registros diversos; e a tecnologia da informacao tem grande importância no acesso e na renovacao dos conhecimentos. Seguindo essas preocupacoes, a essencia da ideia de “criacao do conhecimento” utilizada na area de gestao organizacional reside em pessoas poderem se encontrar e trocar experiencias com outras pessoas que tem ou trabalham com certos tipos de conhecimentos, e a importância da tecnologia da informacao e construir um suporte para que isso ocorra. Considerando esse ponto de vista, discutem-se, no presente artigo, esforcos para trocas de conhecimentos, utilizando-se, para isso, o relacionamento entre dois formatos de conhecimentos – aqueles que sao inerentes as habilidades pessoais (conhecimento tacito) e aqueles que sao possiveis de verbalizar e registrar (conhecimento explicito) – em quatro tipos de conversoes do conhecimento: socializacao (tacito de um individuo para outro), externalizacao (explicitando partes do conhecimento tacito), combinacao (conhecimento explicito de um individuo para o grupo) e internalizacao (captando no formato tacito o conhecimento explicito do grupo). Os argumentos aqui apresentados baseiam-se no fato de que uma efetiva criacao e trabalho com o conhecimento apenas ocorre em um ambiente em que existe uma continua conversao entre os dois formatos do conhecimento. Palavras-chave Gestao do conhecimento; Conhecimento tacito; Conhecimento explicito; Conversoes do conhecimento. Knowledge management: a critical review based on the knowledge creation approach Abstract Successful systematization of Knowledge Management has to take into consideration the following points: knowledge may exist in a personal and registered format; and information technology has great importance in the access and renewal of knowledge. Following this concern, the essence of the idea of “knowledge creation” used in organizational management area is that people can cope and exchange experiences with other people that have or work with some kind of knowledge. The importance of information technology is to build up a support for this to happen. Considering this point of view, efforts for exchange of knowledge are discussed, by using this relationship between two formats of knowledge – those which are inherent to personal abilities (tacit knowledge) and those which are possible to verbalize and register (explicit knowledge) – in four types of knowledge conversion: -socialization (tacit from one individual to other), -externalization (explicit parts of tacit knowledge), -combination (explicit from one individual to the group), and -internalization (explicit from the group to individual tacit). Arguments are based on the fact that an effective creation of and work with knowledge can only exist in an environment where a continuous conversion between these two kinds of forms happens. Keywords Knowledge management; Tacit knowledge; Explicit knowledge; Knowledge conversion.

Integration in New Product Development: Case Study in a Large Brazilian High-Technology Company

Proficiency in management activities undertaken in product development processes is regarded as a key competitive advantage for companies, particularly for high-tech industrial firms, which benefit from the important competitiveness factor of launching products with a differentiated technological content. This paper’s objective was to identify, through case study, practices for integration between the roles of R & D with others involved in product development in a large Brazilian company of industrial automation. The results suggest some management practices to improve the integration in new products development, such as the use of employees from marketing with knowledge and experience previously gained from R & D activities and uses the heavyweight product manager to solve synchronization problems between product and technology development.

Informação e competitividade:a contextualização da gestão do conhecimento nos processos organizacionais

No âmbito das organizacoes empresariais, este artigo se propoe a discutir a visualizacao da gestao do conhecimento na organizacao em tres niveis diferentes, mas fortemente inter-relacionados: o estrategico, o tatico e o operacional. O primeiro nivel trata da ligacao entre competitividade da empresa e o trabalho com os conhecimentos para a criacao de competencias organizacionais. O segundo nivel destaca a importância de se considerar a gestao de conhecimentos na organizacao como sendo parte relevante de seus processos de negocio e nao somente de suas areas departamentais. E finalmente, em um terceiro nivel, esta o lado operacional da gestao do conhecimento ligado a aprendizagem, aos formatos que o conhecimento assume e ao papel desempenhado pela tecnologia da informacao. Este artigo, baseado principalmente em um estudo diversificado de varias referencias bibliograficas, procura trazer algumas contribuicoes iniciais para esta discussao.

Innovation in Industrial Clusters: a Survey of Footwear Companies in Brazil

The aim of this study is to characterize the relationships in innovation and business clustering processes in the productive chain of small and medium enterprises (SME) of Brazil. The object of study are SMEs the local procuctive cluster of the shoes in Franca, State of Sao Paulo. The conceptual model developed is based on the following constructs: vertical integration, innovation and characteristics of the cluster, and it is focused on identifying the agents that act predominantly in product innovation processes in the cluster. A survey was conducted. It was found that there is cooperation between the companies in the productive arrangement studied, and that shoe manufacturers are those who, predominantly, stimulate innovation within the cluster.

Práticas de gestão no desenvolvimento de produtos em empresas de autopeças

This paper presents the empirical findings of survey on practices and management trends of product development process management in the Brazilian auto-parts industry. Thirty two companies, from 120 companies which carry out product development activities, answered the questionnaire, each of theses 32 companies was visited and the interviews were conduced with the managers of PDP, by members of the group of researchers. The final sample consisted of 23 responses since 9 questionnaires were incomplete. Some of the main findings on the practices are: widespread dissemination and use of reference models for PDP partially implemented; methods and techniques for PDP Management are applied with weak inter functional integration; development team carries out the PDP activities; functional structure is still widely used; the follow-source projects are the most common type, while platform projects were also identified (average of 25% of carry out projects); and the first tier suppliers are the ones that more use practices of international pattern of PDP management. Regarding the trends, the reduction of the innovation cycle will require more resources to increase product development speed, and local units expect to reach more autonomy in product development activities which they are capable in order to take part effectively of co-development with the automakers.

Proposição de um modelo para avaliar a gestão do conhecimento no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos

Este artigo descreve um modelo de avaliacao da gestao do conhecimento (GC) no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos (PDP), focalizado no mapeamento da ocorrencia de quatro tipos de conversoes do conhecimento nas quatro dimensoes do PDP. Melhor desempenho desse processo e obtido por meio de um trabalho integrado com suas quatro dimensoes: estrategia; organizacao; fluxo de informacoes e atividades; recursos. Em estudo bibliografico extenso, apoiado pelo estado-da-arte da literatura de GC e PDP, foram encontradas diversas referencias que mostram direta (melhores praticas) ou indiretamente (hipoteses) os relacionamentos entre os detalhamentos das dimensoes do PDP com as conversoes do conhecimento. Apoiado por este estudo, um modelo relacionando a GC com o PDP foi construido, focado na analise e investigacao das diversas relacoes entre conversoes e dimensoes. O artigo apresenta em detalhes a construcao teorica do modelo de avaliacao da GC no PDP. Palavras-chave Gestao do conhecimento. Conversoes do conhecimento. Processo de desenvolvimento de produtos. Proposal of an evaluation model of knowledge management in the product development process Abstract This paper describes a model of knowledge management (KM) assessment in the product development process (PDP), mainly focused on mapping the occurrence of the four types of knowledge conversion in the four dimensions of PDP. A better performance in the (PDP) is gotten through an integrated work in all of its four dimensions: strategy; organization; information flow and activities; and resources. In an extensive bibliographical study (supported by “state of the art” of KM and PD literature) several references have been found that show direct (best practices) or indirectly (hypotheses) the correlation of one or more deployments of the PDP dimensions with the knowledge conversions. Supported by this study a first model was set up for KM in PDP, structured in the analysis and investigation of the several relationships among conversions and dimensions during this process. This paper will present the detailed theoretical construction of such evaluation method. Keywords Knowledge management. Knowledge conversions. Product