| The objective of this research is to examine the relationship between attributes of new product distributed structures and schedule overrun. Data on 75 projects undertaken by Cisco Systems using distributed structures to develop new products were used to test four hypotheses. The hypotheses examined how (i) the proportion of the product design produced at project headquarters, (ii) the development load carried out at remote sites, (iii) the number of platform dependent components used in the product, and (iv) the number of components reused are related to schedule overrun. Results suggest that a high level of design carried out at project headquarters and development loads carried out at remote sites shorten schedule overrun. |
