For companies to maintain a competitive position in the market, it is important to develop continuously, both regarding products and organization. It is stated that a sufficient product development process provides a competitive advantage and can be seen as a competitive strategy for companies. Set-based design is a growing product development process that encourages innovation and flexibility by developing multiple concepts in parallel further into the process and utilizing knowledge for decision-making. There are only a few examples in the literature describing the implementation of the methodology in industrial organizations. Due to the lack of literature on industrial cases where set-based design is applied in product development environments, enablers and barriers of set-based design are not so well researched from a practical perspective. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate which factors impact the usage of set-based design in Original Brand Manufacturer organizations to enable innovative and efficient product development processes.

Several data collection methods have been used to achieve the purpose of the thesis. An action research project has been conducted with a collaboration company to apply the principles of set-based design to a real-world case and environment. The project was performed on an existing product with the objective of re-designing specific parts. Interviews were conducted to gain knowledge of current product development processes at the collaboration company and to understand their perspective on potential enablers and barriers to set-based design as a method. Document studies have been used to gain further insight into the company’s product development processes and information regarding the product for the action research project. Further, workshops were used to complement the interview data to gain additional perspectives regarding set-based design and its implementation. 

Most of the enablers and barriers found in this thesis are confirmations of the already existing findings in theory. However, one enabler and two barriers have been explored that are not mentioned in previous literature. The barriers this thesis enlightens are overcoming subjectivity to avoid being biased in selections during the product development process and the limited need for a more innovative product development process in certain projects and/or industries. Further, the enabler not mentioned in theory but stated in this thesis is the importance of understanding and having a common view throughout the organizations on the principles and benefits of set-based design. Additionally, when set-based design can be used as a tool or as a complement to an already existing development model due to its advantages in certain applications.