The problems occurring during ramp-up processes of new products are usually of technical nature. They, however, feature a large-scale potential for causing or intensifying further problems in other fields of action during the project. Especially small and medium-sized companies suffer from the absence of appropriate documentation methods and proactive approaches for effective containment actions in case of conflicts. Looking at a ramp-up along the supply chain the process consists of a large number of local ramp-ups. Conventional project management methods do not offer suitable tools for this multi-level problem. A holistic ramp-up management needs to be developed.
