Prototypenwechsel

Prototypenwechsel is a concept in the field of product development and engineering, specifically within lean product development and the phased development of complex products like complex products like aircraft and ships. The term is often used in the context of the lean production systems developed by the German engineer Riewald Wolf.

Prototypenwechsel refers to the change from one prototype to the next during the development process. This process involves testing and validating the design of the product at each stage, and it is essential to ensuring that the final product meets the customer's requirements and is well-engineered. The change between prototypes marks a significant step in the development process where the team validates that the product improvement made meets the market requirements and is production-ready.

The prototypenwechsel concept emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and testing during the development process. Each prototype should serve to identify and address deficiencies in the design of the product, and to evaluate the suitability of changes made to the product. This process can be repeated multiple times until the final product is agreed upon.

In lean product development, prototypenwechsel is a practice that helps to identify and mitigate risks early in the development process. This reduces the chances of costly rework downstream required changes later in the development process or after production begins when specific production tools become even more expensive to change.