Designing a collaborative product development process from a knowledge management perspective

Purpose This study aims to propose a collaborative knowledge-based ontological research model for designing a collaborative product development process (PDP) while considering different design for X techniques. Design/methodology/approach This study follows a thematic literature analysis to identify the key design concepts needed to assess environmental, service, safety, manufacture and assembly, supply chain and quality concerns in developing a collaborative PDP. Findings The proposed model provides a guide for methodology, engineering and ontology evaluation metrics (verification, assessment and validation). The findings benefit both practitioners and managers because they address the key knowledge taxonomy needed to assist them in storing information, promoting teamwork and making decisions in a collaborative PDP while incorporating various design for X approaches and product life cycles. Originality/value This study introduces a novel knowledge-based collaborative ontological research model, which is specifically designed to tackle the challenges of developing collaborative products in the contemporary landscape. The model presents a significant and valuable contribution to the field by introducing an ontological approach for acquiring, representing and leveraging knowledge in a computer-interpretable format to support the design of collaborative products. In addition, it provides a comprehensive guide for evaluating the effectiveness and efficacy of the ontology developed.