The Savvy™ Consortium Presents

The Savvy™ Lean Product Innovation, Design & Development Conference V

“The 21st Century Product Development System: Knowledge Wins”

The October 2008 Savvy Consortium International Conference and related events are designed to help product development engineering leaders generate the experiential knowledge they need to accelerate fundamental improvements in their product development process, people and procedures. Product development improvement means improving quality that satisfies customer expectations, increasing the competence of the product development individuals & organization, and never miss schedules that require shorter time to market. These improvements link to PD business goals: increase profit growth, improve customer satisfaction, grow market share and widen the competitive gap just like Toyota’s Product Innovation, Design and Development System has demonstrated in its industry.

Savvy Consortium Conference V “The 21st Century Product Development System: Knowledge Wins”

This international conference features a Toyota Engineering Management leader keynote speaker. Also, USA product development leaders from a variety of industries will present their case study experiences as ‘Knowledge Wins’ Product Development Transformation Leaders in their corporations. In addition to the experiential knowledge presented by the speakers, the Savvy conference participants will a contribute their practical questions, issues and experiential knowledge. This fifth Savvy Conference attracts product developers, engineers, product development leaders, managers of engineering, managers of R&D operations, PD improvement leaders and product development executives.

Savvy™ Set Based Design Engineering Symposium “Robust Engineering Generates Knowledge that Wins”

Preceding Savvy Consortium Conference V is the Savvy Set Based Design Engineering Symposium. This unique Savvy Symposium comprises product design engineering leaders who are successfully implementing set based design engineering practices. These practices are patterned on the system that “towering engineering and technical competence” that helps Toyota win in its markets. The presenters will describe their case study experiences and their knowledge gained from implementing set based design engineering. They will describe the impact SBDE has produced: measurable increases in customer satisfaction, new product initial quality, and compelling increases in engineers’ motivation, productivity and technical problem solving savvy.

Savvy™ Pre-conference seminars and post-conference workshop.

Complementing the Savvy Conference and Design Symposium are the popular Savvy Seminar and two new Savvy Workshops.

Savvy “Intro” Seminar

“Introduction to Toyota’s Knowledge Centered Product Innovation, Design and Development System.”

Savvy Consortium repeats this extremely well received and timely half day seminar. We offer the only “rich from experience” seminar with “fresh from experience” content available in North America. The Savvy seminar content is enriched with valuable insights gleaned from many Savvy Consortium members’ experiences implementing the Toyota thinking and practice. In addition, the Savvy seminar is different because the presenters offer insights into the engineering knowledge worker productivity and motivation. Worker motivation drives the new system adaptation, which increases engineering productivity and builds rigor in their design problem-solving tasks. This seminar is designed for product development leaders and engineers who want an overview with live examples of USA experiences with the Toyota PD System. The Savvy Overview help make the Savvy Consortium Conference content “fit together” for PD leaders getting started and leaders already started but needing deeper experiential knowledge to accelerate their improvements.
Savvy “Set Based Design” Workshop

“The Fundamentals and Application of Set Based Design Engineering.”

Set Based Design Engineering is a rigorous system of engineering design thinking/practice practice that generates robust engineering knowledge needed to “win.” SBDE practice is practiced rigorously in probably less than a handfull of product development organizations (including Toyota’s design and development organizations). Savvy offers workshop content based on four Toyota corporation employees who have presented their experiences at Savvy Consortium membership events. The pioneering work of author Durward Sobek who, in 1995, observed Toyota’s set based design practices first hand in Toyota City. The Savvy also augments the workshop content with Savvy Consortium member firms’ SBDE implementation experiences.

To clear up some wasteful confusion about authentic SBDE, the Savvy presenters describe popular “multiple idea creation” methods. Unlike SBDE, these “multiple ideation” practices do not consistently deliver higher quality designs, do not always lower risk of poor designs, do not avoid missed timelines, do not increase engineering productivity, and do not consistently avoid “me too” products that do not satisfy customers. The purpose of the Savvy Set Based Design workshop is to help product design and development leaders fully understand set based design engineering, how it differs from current design thinking and the transitions needed implement SBDE. Participants will work up a SBDE implementation plan that is both visual and persuasive for convincing their product development organizations. The Savvy SBDE workshop also prepares participants for the Savvy Set Based Design Symposium which immediately follows the workshop.

Savvy “Transformation” Workshop

“Transformation to the new System for Lean Product Development.”

This is Savvy’s most sought after and fastest growing workshop. The workshop is designed Product Development continuous improvement leaders. Savvy workshop presenters expanded to 3/4 day the growing body of experiential knowledge generated from Savvy members’ continuing PD transformation experiences and more firms starting up their learning curves. The content includes the imperative for PD improvement, the expected benefits from the improvement and ten step roadmap that Savvy members have created in their journeys. This workshop shows participants the transformation journey they face and helps them design their own visual transformation plan to get buy in, motivation and the decision to take the first steps in their own organizations.

Knowledge Wins: In the halls, at the breaks, at lunch. Beginning with Savvy conference I in 2006, hundreds of Savvy conference, seminars, and workshop participants continue to comment on the uniquely rich learning they experience during the Savvy events. Participants meet and interact with other product development leaders from various firms engaged in improving their product innovation, design and development people, process, system and culture. The Savvy Consortium carefully orchestrates this “savvy knowledge ambiance” to enable these rich learning and knowledge generation interactions. Note: to avoid distractive conversations, consultants, academics and other “astute observers” are not generally invited to Savvy events because, though highly respected, they cannot share experiences as current new product development engineering knowledge workers employed in manufacturing corporations.

The Savvy Consortium Conference, Symposium, Seminars and Workshops
October 8, 9, 10 - 2008
Minneapolis

Wednesday October 8, 2008 (separate morning tracks)

8-1150 AM Savvy Intro Seminar
8 AM 2 PM Savvy Set Based Design Workshop
230 PM – 530 PM Savvy Symposium Set Based Design case study presentations

Thursday October 9, 2008

9 AM – 5 PM Savvy Consortium Lean Product Innovation, Design and Development Conference V: “Creating a Towering Competent New Product Development Culture for the 21st Century”
Keynote Speaker, Featured Speakers and Case Study Experiences Presentations
7- 830 PM Evening Entertainment and Inspiration: “The Wright Brothers Aeroplane Innovation, Design and Development System: still leading and inspiring” Free Viewing of the DVD and discussion topics including World War II, Ford Motor Company and the Wright Brothers: Genesis of Toyota’s Management Philosophy and System

Friday October 10, 2008

9 AM – 230 PM Savvy Consortium Workshop “Transformation to 21st Century Product Development: ‘Knowledge Wins’ ”