Ford Motor Company

GPDS Program Delivery

The Client

Ford Motor Company (FMC) is one of the world's leading automotive manufacturers with revenues of $173.9 billion, producing 6.553 million automobiles and employing 245,000 employees across global operations (2007 Annual Report).

In June 2008, in response to increased competition, FMC is in the process of deploying an enhanced Global Product Development System (GPDS), replacing the existing Ford, Mazda and Volvo methodologies. GPDS is based on the Mazda Product Development System (MPDS) which incorporates the best practices of Toyota, including the principles of Kaizen (continuous improvement).

The new process aims to provide a roadmap and infrastructure that:

• Improves the company's competitive position by reducing time to market, lowering development costs and improving product quality
• Delivers cross-functional and cross-brand collaboration and alignment to achieve economies of scale
• Enables more effective technology sharing and promotes part commonality

The Challenge

The GPDS methodology encompasses the entire Ford global business, with all functions requiring to adhere to the methodology to ensure success. The strategic GPDS objective is to continuously move closer to Mazda delivery timeframes; however the present challenge is to deliver robustly against existing targets whilst identifying enablers and process improvements to further reduce delivery times.

Whilst the methodology is global, the business practices deployed by the various Ford regions typically differ. This brings its own unique challenges as the GPDS approach must be common across all regions, thus aligning globally is paramount to success.

Whilst the methodology is global, the business practices deployed by the various Ford regions typically differ. This brings its own unique challenges as the GPDS approach must be common across all regions, thus aligning globally is paramount to success.

The Pcubed Solution

Program Governance and Control

• Develop approach for tracking objectives and identify, communicate and manage expectations for all EU workstreams. Ensure alignment to the strategic global Product Development priorities and to the global meeting cadence
• Provide overall PM support to the GPDS EU lead, continuously helping refine and document his strategy
• Lead weekly GPDS status and alignment meetings - drive the agenda, align the content to the global cadence, identifying key issues and tracking actions through to completion
• Lead EU co-ordination for the major releases of GPDS - engaging the key workstreams/stakeholders, assessing impact of proposed changes on each work stream and escalating the EU issues to the global fora
• Communications and briefings - pre-review all Executive meeting papers and bring key issues to the relevant EU fora in advance of global review. This ensures the correct EU workstreams are engaged, have a voice and can actively contribute to the global debate
• Overall lead for the global Lessons Learned process. Apply a Change History and develop tracking metrics to assess program performance. Drive for countermeasures to be incorporated as GPDS process improvements

Program Leadership

• Develop and implement the strategy for transfer of EU responsibilities to the Consumer Business Groups (CBG's). Include development of a Communications strategy/plan, drive close-out of open items, and develop revised roles, responsibilities and objectives for the EU workstreams
• Develop Project Management training material relating to generic PM principles to real GPDS scenarios

Disciplined Delivery

• Deliver global Value Stream Mapping project to review Engineering toolsets across the EU business and assess for redundancy and efficiency opportunities
• Co-ordinate and conduct interviews across the Engineering division in all EU brands and consolidate findings
• Manage the EU team in developing assumptions and recommendations
• Chair weekly Global alignment meetings
• Overall management of the plan. Develop GPDS Steering Team presentation - recommendations adopted globally

The Results

• No surprises - the EU operation is continually abreast of all global developments and aligns to the global PD strategy - EU can actively drive inclusion of its own unique priorities
• An effective governance and communication model ensures all workstreams have clear expectations of required tactical and strategic objectives
• Improved Project Management culture within the GPDS Core Team
• Improved program reporting and tracking capability
• Effective Lessons Learned process ensures good practice is factored into future GPDS development
• Seamless transition of responsibility from the IOSG into the CBG's via an effective communications plan and management of stakeholder expectations
• Successful delivery of unique assignments in tandem with Project Management and operational activity