Gestão do processo de desenvolvimento de produtos de empresas de pequeno porte de base tecnológica de São Carlos: estudo de casos

Abstract

This work aims to characterize the product development process (PDP) in three technology based companies established in the city of Sao Carlos, Brazil. It also identifies and analyses management practices used in this process, as well as main problems and trends related to PDP management. In the technology based context, same as others, PDP is a very important process for competitive improvement, mainly when aspects as globalization, product diversification, product life cycle reduction and the need to adapt to innovation. The dissertation includes a literature review about PDP, a discussion on technology based companies and its innovation process, and a report of a field research conduct in three technology based companies in the city of Sao Carlos. The results are presented by a characterization of each case studied, and also by a comparison between cases.