Using Cases In Dynamics AX 2012 to Manage New Product Development

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USING CASES TO MANAGE NEW PRODUCT

DEVELOPMENT

Dynamics AX | New Product Development

Although Dynamics AX is not a complete new product development and formulation system since it does not calculate nutritional details, or perform least cost formulation, it does allow you to manage all of your product, costs, formulations, nutritional detailed etc. Additionally it has a lot of capabilities to help you manage the NPD and NPI process so that the process is a lot smoother.

In this example, I will show an example of how you can use Cases, Workflow, and Projects within Dynamics AX to manage all of the New Product Development/Introduction process.


New Product

Development

Process

The model that we are going to use for NPD is a Stage/Gate process where there are a number of steps in the process, and also a number of approvals that need to be performed in order to move from one stage to another.

Discovery

Stage 1Scoping

Stage 2Build

Business

Case

Stage 3Develop

Stage 4Testing &

Validation

Stage 5Product

Launch

Gate 1:

Idea

Screening

Gate 2:

Second

Idea

Screening

Gate 3:

Approval

To

Develop

Gate 4:

Approval

To Test

Gate 5:

Approval

To Release


Using Cases To

Initiate NPD

Requests

The easiest way to manage this is through Cases. In this example I have created a new case category of NPD. To start off the NPD cycle, a user just needs to initiate a new case record for it.


Using Cases To

Initiate NPD

Requests

One of the benefits of the cases are that you can associate them with Customers, Prospects, Vendors, and even employees for tracking of who is making all of the requests – you can use this later on for reporting and analysis.


Using Cases To

Initiate NPD

Requests

In order to create a NPD request, we use the NewProdReqcase category.


Using Cases To

Initiate NPD

Requests

This is also tied to a NPD case process for tracking the stages of the NPD cycle.


Using Cases To

Initiate NPD

Requests

In my example, I added tasks and responsibilities at each of the steps in the NPD process.


Using Cases To

Initiate NPD

Requests

After telling the system that you want to initiate a NPD request, you can fill in the skeleton information for the request.


Tracking the NPD

Process

Once the request has been submitted, the users are able to add additional information and relationships to the NPD request, making this the location for the history of the product.


Tracking the NPD

Process

Additionally, you can associate any electronic document that you like to the record – including recipes, ROI calculations, sample formulations, images etc.


Using Workflows to

Coordinate the NPD

Process

There are a number of steps and approvals required in our NPD process. So in this example, we also created a workflow process for the NPD to step through. Once we submit the case to the workflow, all of those steps and approvals will start to occur automatically.


Using Workflows to

Coordinate the NPD

Process

The NPD Stage/Gate process would look something like this – although you can make the workflow as simple, or elaborate as you like, including in features like workflow escalations, and reporting hierarchies.


Using Workflows to

Coordinate the NPD

Process

Now when the user that is responsible for the next stage in the NPD cycle is required to do something, they will be notified through the role center…


Using Workflows to

Coordinate the NPD

Process

And also through the alerts, and the toaster notifications.


Tracking the NPD

Status with Process

& Work Flows

As the NPD steps are completed, then the user is able to move the process from the current stage to the next which initiates tasks for other users on the system.


Tracking the NPD

Status with Process

& Work Flows

Since we use workflows as well here, the users are able to change the status of the NPD process through the workflow actions as well.


Tracking the NPD

Status with Process

& Work Flows

These are all tracked within the workflow history, and can also be analyzed through the workflow reporting cubes delivered with Dynamics AX.


Tracking NPD Costs

& Expenses

Through Projects

In our process all of the steps up until the product formulation have been just designed to gather information. When we get to the physical formulation and development of the product, we may want to track the actual time and costs associated with the request. To do this we just create a Project directly from the case.


Tracking NPD Costs

& Expenses

Through Projects

We just need to specify the project details, and then the cases will do all the rest for us.


Tracking NPD Costs

& Expenses

Through Projects

After creating a project, it will show up in the associations against the NPD case.


Using Project

Collaboration Sites

for NPD

From the project we are able to associate time, expenses, items, and other expenses against our project. If we wanted to define a WBS for the project as well, then that’s not a problem since that is standard in the project accounting module.


Using Project

Collaboration Sites

for NPD

Additionally, all projects also have a collaboration site associated with them in SharePoint. So as you are performing your tests, creating formulations etc. then the collaboration site will work as your electronic lab book.

All of this is accessible directly from the ERP system, so you will no longer have to move from system to system.

How cool is that.

About

Murray Fife

Technology

Using Cases In Dynamics AX 2012 to Manage New Product Development