THE TERM PLATFORM IN THE CONTEXT OF A PRODUCT DEVELOPING COMPANY
DS 32: Proceedings of DESIGN 2004, the 8th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Year: 2004
Editor: Marjanovic D.
Author: Kristjansson, A. H.; Jensen, T.; Hildre, H. P.
Section: DESIGN RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
Page(s): 325 - 330
Abstract
In the paper, we demonstrate that 1) there exist a number of different types of platforms, 2) within the same type of platform, there often exist ambiguous nuances, and 3) the term platform has an imprecise meaning. We find, that to objectively evaluate, and benchmark, platforms, a terminology has to be defined which takes account of platforms existing in different contexts and scopes. The lowest common denominator for the platform concepts we presented in the paper is used as a basis for a new definition of a platform; it is a collection of assets that are reused to achieve a strategic advantage. We argue that it serves well as a starting-point to assess the performance of platforms in product developing organizations.
Keywords: platform terminology, platform categorization, product development