Seeking for Critical Factors Leading Hardware Project Delay-A Case Study of Mobile Phone Industry in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chih-Yuan Huang, 黃祉元
• Other Authors: 陳凱瀛
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/y9qa2k

碩士 === 國立臺北科技大學 === 管理學院工業工程與管理EMBA專班 === 101 === With the advance in technology and the increasing consumer demand for new functions and innovations, hardware and technology development have been pushing forward at full throttle. The shifting winds and the increasing demand in the market, however, have compounded the task of integrating a product at all levels, be it the hardware, mechanics, industrial design. One single development project is sometimes divided into various sub-projects, commencing at the same time but in different places, bringing even more uncertainties into play. This makes it difficult for the project managers to keep tabs on the progress and keep the entire project in check. It is not uncommon for hardware development projects to be subject to uncertainties. Uncertainties are often inevitable during the initial design stage, but, as the product approaches the final mass production stage, uncertainties such as product integration (integration of the mechanics, hardware, and software) may continue to plague the project, heralding various problems that require multiple solutions. Essentially, hardware-related issues are quite diversified and thus extremely difficult to address. How well these issues are embraced hinges highly on the experience and skills of the developer. A hardware development project is deemed complete and accurate only when the product is near the mass production stage. The occurrence of problems during the development process would only lead to time ill-spent on handling delays, and completely disrupt the overall management effort. In any hardware development project, managers have to oversee various tasks; yet, most spend their time dealing with problems arising from an overrun schedule, leaving them little time and energy to deal with the actual management tasks as they should have. Therefore, the importance of creating contingency plans for such delays cannot be over-emphasized. This paper aims to identify the factors in causing delays in hardware development projects. Suggestions for addressing such issues are provided accordingly.