The different approaches brought to product development by designers, engineers and marketers create problems much more substantial than the use of slightly different language. The European Design Centre (EDC) in the Netherlands estimates that 10-20% of project costs are commonly considered by companies as overheads – unavoidable expenses of running the company and not the responsibility of any one person or department.

Communications gaps lead to delays in product design, delays in production schedules and a higher risk of failing to meet quality goals.

The result is increased time to market and loss of market share – often critical for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with small product portfolios.

Apple's Design Process

Cross-functional Innovation Teams

Design for Environment (DfE)

Virtual Workplace

The DEGAP project uses virtual reality to build an interactive platform where users can enter a virtual world of work and see issues and problems similar to those in their own companies. By choosing options they can influence the development of events and interact with each other. Varying the choice will result in different outcomes, so users can see the effect of more considered decisions.

A design liaison coach links board level and project participants. The person needs the skills to improve communication between the different aspects of the project, and acts less as a supervisor than as a communications coach. S/he helps engineers to appreciate the thinking of designers, and the same for the other points of interaction between disciplines. The free exchange of information is essential, so it is an internal role rather than one for an external consultant.