Almost every company attempts to measure its R&D efforts in some way, yet industry research shows that very few are convinced that they are measuring the right things. Furthermore, R&D professionals often find metrics burdensome, disconnected from their “real” work or an infringement on what they view as an inherently creative craft. So what’s wrong with all those R&D metrics that companies are dissatisfied with? First, there are too many of them. Second, they are disconnected from the strategies of the company. Finally, they lack teeth.

This highly practical and interactive two-day session will enable you to not only overcome typical R&D metric weaknesses, but also to establish new R&D metrics as a competitive weapon. This workshop will review detailed case studies of leading companies that have aligned their organizations from top to bottom with a straightforward set of metrics projecting both customer and business needs directly into R&D performance. Designed specifically for professionals serious about implementing practical R&D metrics, this session involves hands-on experience in aligning, setting and monitoring R&D metrics that really matter.

Wayne Mackey
Principal
Product Development Consulting


Internationally Recognized Expert in Metrics and co-author of the best-selling book, Value Innovation Portfolio Management: Achieving Double-Digit Growth through Customer Value and co-author of the PDMA Toolbook for Product Development III

"Wayne Mackey's approach to metrics is focused on simplicity. That means simple to support, simple to understand, and simple to communicate. Our experience with Wayne's system has been that we can quickly establish metrics that are useful to the business immediately."

Donald M. DeLauder
Executive Director
Product Innovation and
Advanced Development
MEDRAD, Inc.

More Testimonials

 By attending this session, you will learn to:

• Align company strategies with your R&D organizational goals
• Incorporate the voice of the customer and organizational competencies into predictive measures of success
• Systematically reduce the "massively many" R&D metrics down to the "critical few"
• Differentiate R&D metrics for executive, management and implementation levels
• Define everyday R&D operating targets and establish a simple, effective review system
   

Wayne Mackey has been a Principal with Product Development Consulting, Inc. since 1997. Prior to joining PDC, he worked in industry for 20 years in high tech, aerospace and automotive fields. He is a natural change agent and leader, having counseled Fortune 500 companies, major universities (Stanford, MIT, Carnegie-Mellon) and government agencies in product development, supply chain management, and rapidly implementing enterprise-wide change. Mr. Mackey also has worked as a senior scientist, program manager, engineering manager and systems engineering manager

Wayne Mackey's expertise is grounded in over twenty years of hands-on leadership of large engineering, manufacturing, and procurement organizations. His management consulting is focused on product / service development, and he is especially effective in collaborative design, metrics, portfolio management and business strategy implementation. He is co-author of the best selling book Value Innovation Portfolio Management: Achieving Double-Digit Growth Through Customer Value, and co-author of the PDMA Toolbook for Product Development III.

Mr. Mackey is an internationally acknowledged expert in metrics and has been a keynote speaker on achieving rapid organizational change, partnering and applying the voice of the customer to product development. He earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and economics from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in engineering, from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.


 

By participating in this workshop, you will learn to:

• Identify the right top level long-term goals for your product development organization
• Define everyday operating goals and the associated measures of success for each based on long-term goals
• Implement the simple, yet powerful “three-step” metrics methodology and its associated tools and find out their contribution to metrics success
• Contrast results metrics versus predictive metrics – learn how they work together to deliver success
• Deploy the “metrics tree” – a proven tool to help determine cause-effect relationships in R&D - yielding predictive results
• Rapidly reduce the "massively many" metrics down to the "critical few"
• Objectively evaluate responsibility and authority to distinguish the right organization level for each metric
• Develop near term targets for each metric based on market needs and organizational capabilities
• Propel R&D performance levels with an aligned, predictive and well governed metrics system
• Align, define and monitor metrics that really matter to overall company performance

DAY 1

8:00 – 8:30AM     Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30AM     Session I.  Metrics Basics 

• Clarification of definitions for metrics, measurements, targets and goals and what their proper place is in R&D
• Contrast results versus predictive metrics – how they work together to deliver success
• Q&A

9:30 – 10:00    Session II.  Case Examples of Common R&D Metrics Mistakes

• To understand the proper use of metrics, this session will review case studies of how real companies have “blown it”
• Dissecting what went wrong and how to avoid those mistakes creeping into your R&D metrics.
• Q&A

10:00 – 10:30   Session III.  Identifying your Metrics Issues

• Participants identify and prioritize key metrics issues for further exploration and discussion in the workshop
• Q&A

10:30 – 10:45  Refreshment Break 

10:45 – Noon   Session IV.  Best Practices & the “Three-Step” Methodology

• Successful metrics systems at leading companies go beyond just counting. They get right to the heart of what needs to be focused on to improve effectiveness and efficiency. We review case studies of how an aligned, predictive, well governed metrics system propels R&D to new levels of performance.
• Metrics don’t have to be difficult to be successful. The powerful, but simple “three step” methodology lies at the core of doing metrics right. This session will review each step and its associated tools and how they contribute to metrics success.
• Q&A

Noon – 1:00PM     Lunch

1:00 – 2:00PM  Session V.   Research vs. Development Metrics

• What do you measure differently and why?
• Q&A

2:00 – 3:00   Session VI.   Alignment – Evergreen & R&D Goals

• Participants will break into small discussion groups to address their own specific metrics case example or choose to work through a sample case. Groups will approach their cases from either an implementer’s or manager’s perspective.
• Hands-on application:  setting long-term “evergreen” goals and short-term R&D goals to define the direction of the organization.
• Applying the voice of the customer, business imperatives and organization capabilities to arrive at top-level goals, from which everything else flows down.
• Defining R&D’s contribution in both the near and mid-term
• Examining R&D strengths and weaknesses to distinguish the “critical few” goals that need greater attention through metrics
• Q&A

3:00 – 3:15 Refreshment Break

3:15 – 5:00   Session VI.  Alignment – Evergreen & R&D Goals (continued)

DAY 2

7:45 – 8:30  Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 10:00 Session VII.  Review of “Best Metrics List”

• What is industry really measuring?  Benchmarking today’s level of metrics maturity
• Best practices – new and emerging metrics

10:00 – 10:15   Refreshment Break                 

 
10:15 – Noon  Session VIII.    Ownership – Putting “Predictive” in Predictive Metrics

• Introduction to the “metrics tree” – a tool to determine cause-effect relationships. Specifically, by leveraging the experience of the organization’s professionals to understand what really causes each goal to occur, the resulting “causal actions” can define R&D’s contribution to goals and build the foundation for R&D metrics.
• Q&A

Noon – 1:00   Lunch

1:00 – 1:45    Session IX.  Simplicity – Targets

• Taking into account learning curves, partnering opportunities and existing skill sets, interim targets must be set for each metric defining performance expectations throughout the near and mid-term.
• Q&A

1:45- 2:30  Session X.  Simplicity – Governance

• Key steps for establishing governance - both predictive and results metrics must be reviewed and acted upon regularly. A governance system is the lynchpin of successful metrics implementation.
• Applying a straight forward, but effective approach to monitor your new R&D metrics.
• Q&A

2:30 – 2:45  Refreshment Break

2:45 – 4:00   Session X.  Deployment – Action Planning

• With a solid knowledge base in place to set up R&D metrics, the next course of action is to develop a realistic implementation plan.  The final exercise of this workshop outlines the steps necessary to deploy your new R&D metrics.
• Q&A

4:00PM  Workshop concludes
 

This seminar is specifically designed for executives, managers and key stakeholders leading R&D activities who need early and accurate information on the effectiveness and efficiency of their organization’s efforts.

It will be especially valuable to VPs, Directors and Managers of:

• Product Development
• R&D
• Technology Development
• Process Improvement
• Advanced Concept Development
• Innovation
• New Business Development, and
• Strategy

To jumpstart implementation and facilitate organizational alignment, it is suggested that at least two members of your organization attend together; ideally at both the senior and project management level.
 

"Wayne's common sense approach to metrics has focused our organization's leadership on performance excellence."

Mike Gustafson
General Manager
Sedation Systems
Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
a Johnson & Johnson Company

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"Wayne's basis for metrics have changed how our leadership team attacks and advances on the most important elements of our business. Its not about the process but the leadership thought process."

Brian Majeska
VP Technical
SemMaterials

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"Wayne's approach to making metrics work for companies is praiseworthy in its simplicity and effectiveness."

Laura Elan
(former) Director of Engineering
Shure Inc.

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"Wayne Mackey's approach to R&D metrics is clearly anchored by his years of practical experience in industry. He provided straightforward guidance that enabled us to rapidly identify metrics associated with activities critical to achieving departmental and organizational objectives. His support through implementation was vital to integrating the process as part of our R&D culture."

Paul J. Vasta, Ph.D.
VP, Research & Development
Orthofix, Inc.

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"Wayne Mackey's approach to metrics is focused on simplicity. That means simple to support, simple to understand, and simple to communicate. Our experience with Wayne's system has been that we can quickly establish metrics that are useful to the business immediately. We've used Wayne's approach to good effect in our R&D, Operations, and Sales/Service teams."

Donald M. DeLauder
Executive Director
Product Innovation and Advanced Development
MEDRAD, Inc.
 

This workshop is strictly limited to 45 attendees to ensure an optimal learning experience for all participants. We recommend early registration as seats will potentially sell out quickly.

Fee: 
$1995/person  Fee includes program materials, luncheons, continental breakfast, and refreshment breaks.

Schedule:

Day One: Registration/Continental Breakfast begins at 8:00am and the workshop begins at 8:30am. Sessions conclude at 5:00pm

Day Two: Continental Breakfast begins at 7:45am. Session begins at 8:30am and concludes at 4:00p.m.on day two.

Location:

The Metrics that Matter to R&D Workshop will be held at:

The Exchange Conference Center
212 Northern Avenue
Boston 02210

There are multiple hotels within walking distance of the conference center

No-Risk Guarantee:
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed – money-back or credit. If you’re not satisfied with the quality of this program, let us know in writing and we’ll refund your registration fee.

Cancellations/Substitutions:
You may send a substitute attendee in your place at any time with no penalty (please inform us in advance, if possible). Cancellations made within 5 business days are subject to a $500 administration fee or the full fee can be credited towards a future purchase. No-shows are liable for the full fee.

Workshop Attire:
We recommend attire in the category of "business casual". It is highly encouraged that you also dress is layers when possible to remain comfortable—please be aware that event facilities are notorious for temperature fluctuations throughout the day of the event.