Barra Puts Her Stamp on GM Product Development

General Motors Co. appointed Mary Barra senior vice president of global product development in February 2011. Since then, Barra has brought sorely needed discipline and quick decision-making to GM's vehicle programs, according to Automotive News.

Last August she eliminated a layer of management and 20 senior engineering jobs by putting every product program under a vehicle line executive. That speeded the process, in part by ending squabbling among three senior engineers on each project, the newspaper reports.

Global engine chief Sam Winegarden tells AN that Barra helped him accelerate the development of a new family of small engines by more than a year. Those engines are now scheduled to debut next year in many more vehicles than originally planned.

Barra says she strives for "rigorous debate" before starting a project, but then demands strict adherence to the resulting plan, according to the newspaper. The idea is to avoid mid-program changes that can cause launch delays, supplier problems and quality glitches. But analysts note that locking in plans early could keep GM from adapting vehicles for changing markets.

Barra has said that all the product-development changes are saving the company about $1 billion per year.

The newspaper observes that Barra also will be judged on the new GM models arriving over the next 18 months the first to be developed from start to finish under her guidance.