Strategic Design Management - Essay Example

Strategic Design Management Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Operational Design Management 3 Functional Design Management 4 Strategic Design Management 4 Decision making models and the growth of Art d'inox 5 References 7 Bibliography 8 Design management decision making encompasses three levels namely functional, operational and strategic design management. Operational Design Management This is the very first step where design is incorporated into the organization. This starts with the communication of the design philosophy and its significance to the organization and also explaining the importance of design to the company and the brand. The liberal meaning of Art d'inox is art with stainless steel. The company's objective is to turn stainless steel into lifestyle materials and its products into high aspiration value items. The planning and structural functions also form important aspects of the operational design stage. This can be initiated within the Art d'inox with the help from the sales and the marketing team and the feedback gained from them. The feedback will provide the base for the ideation process which will lead to new product development. Then the CEO along with the NPD team can take care of the design finalization. In the context of new products one of the most important pieces of information is the control and monitoring mechanism for the product when it is launched briefly into the market as a part of test launch. Art d'inox does a pilot launch through three to four hundred pieces of the new product and monitors it carefully in terms of control points and then depending upon the conclusion decision to further expand the production or to curtail it is taken. Also, the organization can form collaborations with design institutes of repute; in case of Art d'inox it could easily form alliances with National Institute of Design, one of the premier places of learning in its respective field. Functional Design Management This encompasses creation of a design management function in the company. At the strategic level this deals with the incorporation of the design strategy into the basic philosophy and workings of key departments like marketing, communication and innovation departments, i.e. inculcating the deign strategy into the business strategy of the firm. Art d'inox's basic objective of turning stainless steel items into lifestyle products with the amalgamation of design and functionality through innovative surface finish and the use of combined materials has adhered to this concept. This leads to the planning stage where procedures and standard for quality are fixed. Art d'inox has a design center with a professional design team which works in tandem with NPD or the new product development team. In Art d'inox's functional structure the CEO leads the design vertical along with the NPD, which designs products after receiving pointers from marketing and sales teams. The finances have to be taken care of in terms of setting up supplier and so Art d'inox being a part of the Jindal Stainless Steel group has timely supply of high quality raw material at reasonable prices. Strategic Design Management This is the capability of the design philosophy to give shape to the organizational objective and transform it according to the vision. At the initiation level the basic strategy is defined and the objectives to be reached in terms of design are also communicated clearly. The very concept of Art d'inox lies in changing the perception about stainless steel utensils and items through extremely creative and functional designs. The CEO is at the helm of designing, who along with the NPD team looks after the various aspects of deign and new product launch. This structure ensures that the top management level is guiding the design team from the top and the philosophy also percolates from top through all the management layers and departments. In Art d'inox the CEO ensures the effective completion of this job. Human resources are extremely important, especially in a design oriented organization since human creative input is a vital factor. In Art d'inox, though the CEO controls and guides the design process yet he or NPD should not be the only people eligible for infusing ideas. Rather, liberal brainstorming sessions can be conducted where many people participate and discuss good ideas that can be converted into aesthetically pleasing products. In addition to this, the company must constantly focuses on research and be on the lookout for newer concepts in terms of innovative designs and products. The company in fact brings in four to five new concepts and products into the market and this swift product innovation is made possible through computer aided processes (Mozota B.B.D., 2004). Decision making models and the growth of Art d'inox Operational design management begins with the infusion of the demand for innovative design in the organization's DNA along with management of the various design projects. Once the demand for design or its significance is established, Art d'inox's management should make a significant effort to achieve the design and allied objectives. In the functional design management stage the design department of the firm will gives shape to each of the various designs and the respective products which cover a wide range of offerings, from Home dcor items to bar accessories. If the first two levels of design management work in collaboration with the strategic design management, which encompasses the visualization of broad business strategy and its infusion in the decision making process of the firm, then the probability of success for the firm becomes much stronger. If Art d'inox wants to be further innovative in its product offerings and range then these three levels of management will situate it in a smooth and comfortable flow of operations. From fixing the strategic vision for the company and inculcating the vision into the deign paradigm to the execution of the design projects with the help of in house departments, the whole array of variables concerned with Art d'inox's plans of future growth can be taken care off by these three levels of design management. If Strategic design management is , used as an expansive tool then it would help Art d'inox to achieve its present and future objectives and provide the company with a framework to work within, which is nimble and constructive at the same time (Gillespie B., 2003). Innovative design will always cut the clutter and help it to connect with the consumer. References Mozota, B.B.D., 2004, Design Management: Using Design to Build Brand Value and Corporate Innovation, Allworth Communications, Inc., ISBN 1581152833, 9781581152838 Gillespie, B. 2003, Strategic Design Management in 250 Floors or Less, Design Management Institute, [Online], Available at: http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/publications/news/ebulletin/ebvaprbg.htm, [March 19, 2009] Bibliography Cagan, J. and Vogel, C.M. 2001, Creating Breakthrough Products: Innovation from Product Planning To Program Approval, Published FT Press, ISBN 0139696946, 9780139696947 Read More