For any product oriented company the product development lifecycle may be the most critical process to improve for creating new competitve advantage in modern global market.
Time In a R & D environment the design-build-test cycle must be accelerated early in the process and include use and testing of materials and processes intended for limited and high volume production.	Cost Even in large well funded efforts following a lean cash strategy can result in more progress faster. In cash critical situations money can overconstrain a project and force poor decisions. In either case making the most of internal and external resources is critical.
Process Improvment If product development is a recurring activity for an organization the process should be executed and measured and continually improved. PI may be the area where a fresh look from the outside in will yield the greatest value.  My work in this area with many companies has shown me a set of best practices to analyze the process and work with the team to develop ways to get better results from product development projects.