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  • February 2004 (Revised March 2006)
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Pratt & Whitney: Engineering Standard Work

By: H. Kent Bowen and Courtney Purrington
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:24
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Abstract

As the engineering of state-of-the-art jet engines becomes more and more complex, Pratt & Whitney leaders face major competitive problems. Product development projects are not meeting the cost, quality, and lead-time targets. The leadership develops a design, development, test, and launch system that treats the engineering resources as a factory and carefully designs and manages the work flows, engineering activities, and hand-offs between tasks. There is promising initial success but some question whether the "engineering standard work" system stifles creativity and whether it is appropriate for the work of other professional functions.

Keywords

Design; Engineering; Cost; Knowledge Management; Time Management; Product Launch; Standards; Product Development; Problems and Challenges; Quality; Creativity; Competitive Strategy; Manufacturing Industry

Citation

Bowen, H. Kent, and Courtney Purrington. "Pratt & Whitney: Engineering Standard Work." Harvard Business School Case 604-084, February 2004. (Revised March 2006.)
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About The Author

H. Kent Bowen

→More Publications

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    New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. (Abridged)

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    Gordon Williams: Clinical Research at Brigham and Women's Hospital

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More from the Authors
  • New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. (Abridged) By: H. Kent Bowen, Robert S. Huckman, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Matthew Preble
  • Peter Schultz at The Scripps Research Institute By: H. Kent Bowen, Alison Berkley Wagonfeld and Courtney Purrington
  • Gordon Williams: Clinical Research at Brigham and Women's Hospital By: H. Kent Bowen and Courtney Purrington
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