2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

As the demand for developing higher percentages of successful products with shorter cycle times and lower budgets continues to be the expectation, there seems to be a need to revisit the relationship and structure between Program Management, Project Management, and Systems Engineering. Additionally, the Product Manager has been introduced into the mix leading to an even more complex model.

Traditionally, systems engineering manages the development phases such as system requirements, initial designs, specifications, system architecture, system infrastructure, system integration, test, verification & validation, and customer acceptance. Project management focuses on project scope, time, and budget for product development campaigns. Program management provides oversight and is the conduit between the client, the firm, project, systems, and other stakeholders. In essence, program management would ultimately be responsible for meeting customer needs, manage the development process, and achieve business goals such as financial performance, market position, and competitive advantage. Of late, the Product Manager has been introduced as the focal point and conduit to creating customer value.

This leads to consideration of a comprehensive fully integrated product development model with emphasis on total integration between the Product Manager (PDM), Program Manager (PGM), Project Manager (PM), and the Systems Engineer (SE). This model may serve as the future roadmap for a multidisciplinary fully integrated product development structure incorporating product management, program management, project management, and systems engineering into a singular entity as opposed to separate and distinct entities.

This paper is a work in progress of such a model for the development of a multidisciplinary, fully integrated structure, describing the architecture, infrastructure, and the interconnectivity between the various sub-systems highlighting the significance and criticality of systems and sub-systems level integration. This is the first phase of this research project, and it is an assessment from the product manager’s perspective only. The follow-on phases will encompass the views and perspectives from the program manager, project manager, systems engineer, management, and the customer. Students, faculty, and practitioners in the field of product management, systems engineering, project management, program management, strategies, business management, supply-chain management, and similar disciplines may benefit from understanding and applying this model.