Notice that the first three methods are the three strategic elements, while the last two ( focus on quality and multifunctional product teams ) are methods that help the firm to implement the strategic elements.
There is plenty of evidence that these techniques contribute greatly to increasing speed to market. Software development is often marked by intensive " crunch time " periods due to approaching deadlineds, and many firms in this industry rely on small, cohesive cross-functional teams to meet time goals while at the same time not sacrificing quality. Parallel processing is typical in the car industry: A car's drive train may be 70 or 80 percent designed ( but not 100 percent ) before body design work is initiated. Then, an early prototype ( but not the final car ) may be built and ready for controlled test driving. The use of parallel processing by Japanese automakers was a big factor in their emergence on the world market. Figure 2.4 shows many techniques that have been advocated for shortening cycle times.