Competitive Engineering

Competitive Engineering documents Tom Gilb's unique, ground-breaking approach to communicating management objectives and systems engineering requirements, clearly and unambiguously. Competitive Engineering is a revelation for anyone involved in management and risk control. Already used by thousands of project managers and systems engineers around the world, this is a handbook for initiating, controlling and delivering complex projects on time and within budget. The Competitive Engineering methodology provides a practical set of tools and techniques that enable readers to effectively design, manage and deliver results in any complex organization - in engineering, industry, systems engineering, software, IT, the service sector and beyond. Elegant, comprehensive and accessible, the Competitive Engineering methodology provides a practical set of tools and techniques that enable readers to effectively design, manage and deliver results in any complex organization - in engineering, industry, systems engineering, software, IT, the service sector and beyond. Provides detailed, practical and innovative coverage of key subjects including requirements specification, design evaluation, specification quality control and evolutionary project management Offers a complete, proven and meaningful 'end-to-end' process for specifying, evaluating, managing and delivering high quality solutions Tom Gilb's clients include HP, Intel, CitiGroup, IBM, Nokia and the US Department of Defense

First published in 1984. This work is designed to provide for those who often face having to set up engineering contracts a comprehensive text-book and source of ready reference, by the aid of which they may handle the competitive tendering process without doubt or difficulty. Each step is described in chronological sequence, with comment on the common pitfalls. Comprehensive check-lists are included with a detailed alphabetical index to enable a subject to be readily located. As a text-book it aims to be equally of value to engineers and to others who have recently changed from pure technology to new responsibilities with a more commercial, contractual or managerial flavour.

Effective design and manufacturing, both of which are necessary to produce high-quality products, are closely related. However, effective design is a prerequisite for effective manufacturing. This new book explores the status of engineering design practice, education, and research in the United States and recommends ways to improve design to increase U.S. industry's competitiveness in world markets.

Due to the dramatic increase in competition over the last few years, it has become more and more important for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to run an efficient business and offer an adequate Quality of Service. The Competitive Internet Service Provider is a comprehensive guide for those seeking to do just that. Oliver Heckmann approaches the issue from a system point of view, looking not only at running a network, but also at connecting the network with peering and transit partners or planning the expansion of the network. The Competitive Internet Service Provider: Offers an advanced reference on the topic, drawing on state-of-the art research in network technology. Clearly defines the criteria enabling ISPs to operate with the greatest efficiency and deliver adequate Quality of Service. Discusses the implications of the future multiservice Internet and multimedia applications such as Voice over IP, peer-to-peer, or network games. Delivers a comparative evaluation of different feasible Quality of Service approaches. Explores scientific methods such as queuing theory, network calculus, and optimization theory. Illustrates concepts throughout with mathematical models and simulations. This invaluable reference will provide academic and industrial researchers in the field of network and communications technology, graduate students on telecommunications courses, as well as ISP managers, engineers and technicians, equipment manufacturers and consultants, with an understanding of the concepts and issues involved in running a successful ISP.

Two of the most prolific and challenging authorities on the topic of competitive intelligence (CI) reflect on and respond to the changes in the field over the last decade. The authors point out that CI users have to change what they are doing, show why they are doing it, and provide ways of doing it. Their book reviews the problems in the development of CI since the 1980s, discusses the impact of the Internet and the rise in use of other secondary sources, and draws from and provides access to the growing body of CI information, knowledge, and literature. Combining a scholarly approach with hands-on advice, McGonagle and Vella have written the first work to guide CI professionals through the emerging literature of their field. Among the important changes in the field the authors cover are: the radical changes in on line database searching and ways in which the Internet has fundamentally modified how we think of accessing data. Their book explores and reports the major body of work from the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, now that more businesses worldwide are using competitive intelligence and either writing about their experiences with it, or joining in new benchmarking studies. The result is newer information on what really works, what doesn't work, and who is doing what with it. The book is thus a starting point for people new to the field of CI as well as a resource to help experienced professionals do their jobs better.

There is now a widely accepted view among manufacturing and service organisations that 'operations' can provide the means of achieving competitive edge. The OMA-UK Sixth International Conference has taken this view as its theme and focuses in particular on how technology and people can be used to improve manufacturing and service competitiveness. These proceedings have been organised according to the topics addressed within the overall conference theme and generally fall within three broad areas: technology-based topics, human resource-based topics and general topics. The technology-based topics are: Materials Control, Supply Chain Management and Logistics Flexibility in Operations Systems Computer-Aided Management of Operations Design, Process Planning and 'Time to Market' Factors Application of KBS, Expert Systems and Modelling Production Planning and Control The human resource-based topics are: Work Organisation Human Factors Managing the Implementation of Technology Managing the Quality Improvement Process Education Training and Development Employee Participation and Involvement The general topics are: Operations Strategy International Comparisons and Country-based Papers Performance and Productivity Measurement and Improvement A particular feature of all the papers is that they emphasise the application of techniques, technologies and concepts rather than concentrating on specific functional description. The authors are drawn from around 14 countries and represent both the academic and industrial communities. Many are involved in the 'mainstream' of operations management while a number are from other disciplines relevant to the conference theme, such as industrial engineering and organisational behaviour.

Every business is a software business, and every business can profit from improved software processes Leadership, Teamwork, and Trust discusses the critical importance of knowledge work to the success of modern organizations. It explains concrete and necessary steps for reshaping the way in which software development, specifically, is conducted. A sequel to Humphrey's influential Winning with Software, this book presents new and copious data to reinforce his widely adopted methods for transforming knowledge work into a significant and sustainable competitive advantage, thereby realizing remarkable returns. Humphrey addresses here the broader business community--executives and senior managers who must recognize that today, every business is a software business.

Competitive Citites is an assessment of the way in which `partnership', a word much used by politicians, has helped to shape the economic futures of four cities on both sides of the Atlantic - Atlanta, Toronto, Birmingham and Rotterdam.