This paper presents the initial phase of a proposal for improving the product development process of a diesel engines manufacturer. The method used to collect data is field research, where the object of analysis is the product development process of the company under study. The first phase of the research is a diagnosis performed at the company. It consists of a diagnostic of the company’s process focused on the structure of the product development process and the organizational structure used to manage the development of new products. The data from this phase serve as a basis for proposed improvements, also outlined in this work.