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The corporate objectivesSummaryCorporate objectives need to be precise, but must also be framed in a way which acknowledges the timescales and pace of change in the industry. They should indicate to the designers not just the products and markets at which the company is aiming but should also signal targets for profitability and growth. Timescales need to be clear too, and objectives set far enough ahead to ensure that second- and future-generation products can be allowed for during the creation of the first generation. Design, like every other activity within an organisation, can only be carried out effectively if the company's overall corporate objectives have been precisely set and convincingly communicated to everyone involved. In particular, those responsible for design need to understand in detail:
It is important that these objectives are set for a period that is long enough to guide the design team. So the period covered should stretch beyond a single product lifecycle and its extension to a related family of products in order to facilitate evolutionary improvements. This is of growing importance in the face of accelerating technological and market changes.
Best practice tipObjectives should reach beyond a single product lifecycle[CS] Case study : Nomix Manufacturing Ltd [CS] Case study : Soundcraft Electronics Ltd The speed of technological and market changes is no excuse for not setting the long-term objectives necessary to guide the general direction in which a company's products should develop. Of course, the objectives themselves also need regular review and amendment in response to market and competitor developments. For example, a company may decide to penetrate a new market with a product at the top of the performance/price range and then use this to expand market share with lower-priced versions: obviously, the design team needs to be aware of these objectives before it begins work on the market-entry design. The team can then minimise and ease the development of the second-generation version. As the Japanese have demonstrated, the ability to adapt a design rapidly to meet the demands of a specific market or to maintain a competitive advantage has become one of the keys to success. This, combined with a recognition of the advantages to be gained from developing products that either use the latest technology to create an entirely new market or that leapfrog competitors in terms of performance and desirability, is where British companies too often miss out in comparison with their Continental and Japanese rivals.
Best practice tipDesign in flexibility for future modifications ![[Go to top of page]](http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20040105104419/http://www.dti.gov.uk/graphics/up.gif)
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