Concurrent-based analysis model of product development flow combining forward with backward chain

The pressure to shorten product development process has increased due to rapidly changing technology and customers´ perceived needs. Many researchers address reducing product development time. These methods are, however, still time-consuming not well-structured. The push-pull model of product development flow (PPM-Flow) in this paper is concurrent-based analysis model by combining forward with backward chain. PPM-Flow is presented according to three kinds of relationship models. The reconstructing steps of product development process are described along with the methodology of reconstructing PPM-Flow. The method has been applied in the leading mechatronics company in China, which develops and manufactures automatic doors in trains or metro cars. The application result shows that product development cycle can be shortened using PPM-Flow.