The Virtual Design Team (VDT) extends and operationalizes Galbraith's (1973) information-processing view of organizations. VDT simulates the micro-level information processing, communication, and coordination behavior of participants in a project organization and predicts several measures of...

While product development efforts are often viewed a unique configurations of idiosyncratic tasks, in reality different projects within an organization often exhibit substantial similarity in the flow of their constituent activities. Moreover, while most of the planning tools available to...

Integrated Product Development (IPD) creates overlap and interaction between activities in the new product development process and, because this increases the need to coordinate, compensates through other aspects of the new product development process (e.g., integrated tools), product...

In this paper, we consider whether an increase in uncertainty increases the value of a research and development (R&D) project. We also consider the related question of the impact of increased project uncertainty on the value of management flexibility, defined as the difference in value when the...

Application of heuristic solution procedures to the practical problem of project scheduling has previously been studied by numerous researchers. However, there is little consensus about their findings, and the practicing manager is currently at a loss as to which scheduling rule to use....

An algorithm is described for estimating arc and path criticalities in stochastic activity networks by combining Monte Carlo simulation with exact analysis conditioned on node release times. These estimators are proved to be unbiased and to have lower variance than the corresponding standard...

In this paper, we consider a class of two-stage stochastic optimization problems arising in the protection of vital arcs in a critical path network. A project is completed after a series of dependent tasks are all finished. We analyze a problem in which task finishing times are uncertain but can...

This paper builds upon earlier work from the decision/risk analysis area in presenting simple, easy-to-use approximations for the mean and variance of PERT activity times. These approximations offer significant advantages over the PERT formulas currently being taught and used, as well as over...

Cross-functional teams can greatly facilitate the successful implementation of projects. This study examined the influence of a set four antecedent constructs (superordinate goals, accessibility, physical proximity and formalized rules and procedures) on the attainment of both cross-functional...

In this field study, conducted at a leading avionics guidance systems manufacturer, we gathered primary data on time and cost performance of both the design and manufacturing phases of new product development (NPD). We modeled the impact of the management levers relating to oversight, the...