A new approach to solving coupled task sets based on resource balance strategy in product development

It is difficult to manage a new product development process since there exists coupled tasks. The parallel iteration model based on extended Design Structure Matrix (DSM) called Work Transformation Matrix (WTM) has not been fully considering the specific resource constraints. In view of this point, a model based on resource balance strategy is proposed to avoid resource idleness caused by the uneven allocation of resources. Furthermore, Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to find a near-optimal solution. Finally, a practical example of product development project is given to illustrate the model's feasibility and validity in describing the real development process.