Decision-making and selection of different design alternatives is a central activity in product development. This paper compares the decision process of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering to Pugh’s method of controlled convergence in an industrial case study. The purpose is to investigate if the set-based decision process renders different results compared to the traditional Pugh matrix selection. In the case study, Pugh’s matrix promoted the development of new concepts. The set-based process offered the opposite approach, aiming at improving the currently used technologies.

Set-Based Concurrent Engineering is sometimes seen as a means to dramatic improvements in product design processes. In spite of its popularity in literature, the number of reported applications has so far been limited. This paper adds new information by describing implementations of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering in four product developing companies. The research took a case study approach, with the objective to investigate if the principles of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering can improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of the development process. The study shows that set-based projects can be driven within an existing organization, if given proper support. The participants claim that a set-based approach has a positive effects on development performance, especially on the level of innovation, product cost and performance. The improvements were achieved at the expense of slightly higher development costs and longer lead time. However, the positive effects are dominating and the companies involved intend to use Set-Based Concurrent Engineering in future projects when appropriate.

Set-Based Concurrent Engineering is described as an effective methodology for product development, but is also hard to implement in companies using traditional development processes. This paper suggests a new way to introduce Set-Based Concurrent Engineering by combining its three principles with a modified morphological chart. A structured process with design templates is proposed and incorporated in a computer tool. The approach is evaluated by using information from an industrial case study. The result indicates that the principles of Set-based Concurrent Engineering can be implemented in a traditional development process by the proposed process and computer tool.