Leaving those items in individual project managers’ hands could result in good decisions for
each project that are potentially disastrous for
the overall product line. A classic product line
example is a project that checks out a core asset and unilaterally modifies it to suit its own
special needs, rather than taking the steps necessary to get the asset updated in a general way
that serves the entire product line. The product
line manager must enforce an operating concept with procedures that prevent this practice.