Developing engineering systems with stakeholder engagement

The activities of the early stages of new product development (NPD) projects have a significant impact on its results. This is evident by the failures of outputs to meet expected levels of adoption being traced back to inadequate elicitation of requirements and validation of the need for the output itself. To address this, the development of consumer goods, software and large-scale construction projects have been shown to benefit from the early involvement of stakeholders in these outputs. However, few studies focus on how this early involvement of stakeholders might advance the development of engineering systems. Although studied in the context of complex products and systems (CoPS), which includes large-scale constructions, engineering systems differ significantly to these and other NPD project outputs. This is due to the absence of end-users, or the general public, being involved as such systems are often automated and hidden within other systems or infrastructure. Adhering to development frameworks prioritising technical maturation furthers this difference, although, like consumer products, a market needs to be addressed. To explore this phenomenon, a single case study of the beginning of a wastewater system NPD project is conducted and supported by studies that identify, engage and evaluate the extent stakeholders can affect its activities. The results support the need for a dedicated early stage for stakeholder engagement. This will help address the implications of findings evidencing problems engineering systems need to address so to achieve expected levels of adoption. Successfully incorporating this new stage whilst prototyping the engineering system itself requires further research. The contributions of this thesis challenge prioritising technical interests during early stages of development, demonstrate the extensive value of analysing qualitative data and support iterative and collaborative NPD approaches. Incorporating these findings will contribute to ensuring highly innovative engineering systems effectively address the needs of their salient stakeholders.