CODESS-a system for decision support in the conceptual phase of new product development: concepts and application

The goal of the customer-oriented design support system (CODESS) is to implement quality function deployment (QFD) into other information systems more effectively and provide decision support in the conceptual phase of new product development. This paper describes the CODESS approach to design decision support and discusses a data model which facilitates development and maintenance of CODESS and plays a key role in the integration of CODESS with the corporate information system. In the final section, we report on the results of implementing and applying the system in a pilot company, and derive general findings on effective and efficient support of design decisions in the conceptual phase of new product development