This book asks basic questions that drive at the fundamentals of product development, observes the sources of the most common maladies that plague many product development organizations, distills "cornerstones" from the practices of lean product developers, most notably Toyota, which differ remarkably from conventional practice, and melds observations of effective teamwork, engineering fundamentals, design methodology, and theories about management, cognition, and learning. The author carries the implications of his theories into specific, practical recommendations, and employs systems thinking in all aspects of thought and investigation.--From back cover.