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TWENTY KEY ELEMENTS OF A PRODUCT
REALIZATION PROCESS
This article is based upon a presentation at the 1996 National Design Engineering Conference, by three members of the PRP Project Task Force:
Dr. Donovan G. Evans, Director, Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, Arizona State University
Mr. Hugh R. MacKenzie, Retired Group Vice President, Worldwide Products & Sector Planning, Polaroid Corporation
Dr. Christian Przirembel, Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies, Clemson University. Senior Vice President for Education, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
The session was organized and chaired by Dr. John W.
Wesner, Technical Manager, Process Integration, Lucent Technology Bell Laboratories. Vice
President for Systems and Design, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers who also
put together this article from the materials prepared for the session.
The Board on Engineering Education of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers recently completed a study supported by the National Science
Foundation, on Integrating the Product Realization Process (PRP) into the Undergraduate
Curriculum.
In the process of identifying exactly what ought to be
integrated into the curriculum, the task force working the project identified TWENTY KEY
ELEMENTS OF A PRP. These Key Elements (they could also be termed Key Best Practices) seem
to be applicable to many companies, from those with complete Product Realization Processes
to those small companies for whom using even a few of these might help them improve their
design and manufacturing.
This article includes:
Because the study had as its original goal improving the
Mechanical Engineering curriculum, all of the work was done with Mechanical Engineers and
Mechanical Engineering students in mind. However, the findings discussed here are clearly
usable by anyone involved in product realization whose role includes the particular
activity being discussed.
TWENTY KEY ELEMENTS OF A PRP
The twenty items are listed in the order of their importance among
the skills of an entry-level Mechanical Engineer.
1. Teams/Teamwork. The ability to work with diverse,
multi-discipline team members to successfully reach a goal or objective.
Diverse can refer to gender, ethnicity, educational background,
experience, and personality. Multi-Discipline is meant in a broad sense: not just
engineering but also business, marketing, customers, and suppliers.
Some examples of contemporary use of teams are:
2. Communication. The ability to clearly and logically
communicate ideas, information, and data orally and in written form to others in a way
that engages the intended audience and addresses different learning styles.
This is consistently rated as a perceived shortcoming of engineers.
It has been estimated that in verbal communication, the information
is communicated in four waysóin these surprising relative percentages:
Content 7%
Tone 33%
Body Language 55%
Other 5%
For best communication,
3. Design for Manufacture. Design to maximize ease of
manufacture by simplifying the design through part-count reduction, developing modular
designs, minimizing part variation, designing a part to be multi-functional, etc.
DFM is facilitated by using multi-discipline teams from the project
start, including manufacturing engineering. Use DFM Checklists, initially early in the
project. Not every item on the checklist must be answered yes, but have a good reason for
all deviations .
4. CAD Systems. Computer aided drafting boards that allow a
user to define a new product by a) creating images and b) assigning geometry, mass,
kinematics, material, and other properties to the product.
CAD systems vary in complexity and capability. There are simple 2D
systems, and more complex 3D systems with solid modeling capability. Some special
capabilities include fits and clearances, geometric tolerancing, feature-based design, and
tool path generation for automated machining.
5. Professional Ethics. The ability to conform to standards
of conduct determined by one's profession, in alignment with team and corporate standards.
Follow the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would have them treat
you.
Over the years, the focus of published professional Canons of Ethics
have changed:
6. Creative Thinking. The process of generating ideas, which frequently emphasizes:
The fundamental objective is to turn ideas into something of value
in the marketplace. James Moore said in the Harvard Business Review that …the only
sustainable competitive advantage comes from out-innovating the competition. Tom Peters
has written that …imagination is the main source of value in the new economy.
Examples of some contemporary practices are
7. Design for Performance. Designed to perform to product
requirements under a wide variety of manufacturing and user operating conditions.
Without this there may be no product, so be sure that the
requirements are really what are needed by customers. Use QFD to insure matching the
requirements to customer needs. Use Customer Panels for ongoing feedback. Multi-discipline
teams need to include marketing management.
8. Design for Reliability. Designing the product so it works
the first time, every time for the life of the product (decreasing cycle failure).
Robust Design in its most general sense insures operation in a
variety of environments, throughout life. Environmental Stress Testing weeds out problems
by subjecting samples to a simultaneous set of extreme operating conditions.
9. Design for Safety. Design so that the manufacture of and
the use or abuse of the product minimize the possibility of injuries which could lead to
product liability problems.
There are Federal requirements to be met. DFS experts in your
company or as consultants know the rules and many opportunities. Designers should use DFS
Checklists and published signage and labeling standards.
10. Concurrent Engineering. An approach to new product
development where the product and all of its associated processes, such as manufacturing,
distribution, and service, and developed in parallel.
Concurrent engineering is strongly supported by
11. Sketching/Drawing. The ability to clearly illustrate
ideas and design by freehand sketching.
This requires some skill at recognizing shape and form instead of
identifiable familiar objects. This skill can be developed to a fairly high level. Primary
uses for sketching are developing your ideas, and selling your ideas to others. The latter
requires better art work.
12. Design for Cost. Meeting customer requirements while
minimizing cost of all aspects of the product, including production, assembly,
distribution, and maintenance.
Have clear cost goals, and constantly re-check the design against
these goals. Have a Value Engineering (see below) session including marketers, designers,
manufacturing engineers, and purchasers, at the start of the project.
13. Application of Statistics. Methodology of effectively
designing tests and analyzing test data using statistical techniques that are founded in
probability theory.
More general than Design of Experiments or Statistical Process
Control. Example: Reduce variability in performance of parts to achieve specific
performance of an electronic system. Example: Determine how much testing must be performed
on a critical weld to achieve a specified high confidence that the weld meets
specifications.
14. Reliability. A sub-set of statistical engineering
methodology which predicts performance of a product over its intended life cycle and
understanding of the effects of various failure modes on system performance.
This is distinct from Design for Reliability or Product Testing.
Generally involves statistics. Example: Short-term cycle testing might be used to predict
the mean time to failure of a new product.
15. Geometric Tolerancing. An agreed-upon convention of
symbols and terms used on engineering drawings to connote geometric characteristics and
other dimensional requirements.
Tolerances are used to control form, profile, orientation, location,
and runout. Geometric Tolerancing helps ensure the most economical and effective
production of parts with features that offer function and have proper relationships. Both
an engineering drawing language and a functional production and inspection technique
(Foster, Geo-Metrics III, 1994). Based upon ANSI standards (circa 1980), ISO standards,
and ASME Standards Y14.5M-1994 and Y14.5.1M-1994.
16. Value Engineering. A systematic approach to evaluating
design alternatives that seeks to eliminate unnecessary features and functions and to
achieve required functions at the lowest possible cost while optimizing manufacturability,
quality, and delivery.
Multi-disciplined value engineering sessions conducted in a retreat
mode (away from normal work distractions) can also serve for team-building. Get
manufacturing and purchasing to make realistic estimates in real time, calling on experts
as needed. Use Pughís Concept Selection Method, and build on design platforms as much as
possible.
17. Design Reviews. The scheduled-in checkpoints for
assessing the design progress toward meeting product requirements and budget.
Participants in a Design Review should be knowledgeable people, some
from parts of the organization other than the group whose design is being reviewed, who
can ask insightful questions which may expose things that have been overlooked. You want
action items to come from the review!
18. Manufacturing Processes. Processes that are used to
create or further refine work pieces, such as molding and casting, machining, extruding,
stamping, forming, bonding, welding, coating, plating, painting, fabrication, and
assembly.
Product design engineers need to be familiar with manufacturing
processes which could be used to make their products, so they can make educated trade-offs
among them. The need is for familiarity, so that they know to which experts to turn for
more detailed information needed to choose among alternatives. This is strongly linked to
Design for Manufacture.
19. Systems Perspective. The up-front identification of
system components and their interactions for the purpose of optimizing the performance of
the system as a whole.
Various methods and tools are useful. Brainstorming by
cross-functional teams helps to surface the various issues. Pughís Concept Selection
Method can help narrow options.
20. Design for Assembly. Making the product easier to
assemble, thereby reducing cycle-time during production.
Make use of Bothroyd-Dewhurst software or manual checklists. In
designing components, seek parts that can not be put on wrong, all of which assemble in
the same direction. If you can design for a robot to assemble the product, then people can
do it easily also. You need to weigh the quantity to be made and the time-to-market
against the time and effort to design complex parts that simplify assembly.
THE 56 BEST PRACTICES
The Task Force grouped the 56 Best Practices that were originally
identified into five categories. The items within each category are not listed in any
particular order.
Knowledge of the Product Realization Process
PRP Team Skills
Design Skills
Analysis and Testing Skills
Manufacturing Skills
BACKGROUND
Task Force Process
The study was begun by collaborating with a small group of industry
and academic leaders to establish best practices criteria. We then surveyed companies
representing a broad spectrum of industry to identify current Product Realization Process
practices and expectations for mechanical engineers. Finally, we integrated these findings
with academic surveys to determine synergies and gaps.
Participating Companies
Aerospace: Allied Signal, Boeing
Automotive: Advanced Engineering Center, Caterpillar, Ford, General
Motors
Chemicals: Eli Lilly & Co., Fluor Daniel
Communications: AT&T, Motorola
Computers/Peripherals: Xerox, Hewlett Packard
Consumer/Industry Products: 3M Center, Alles & Martinsville,
G.E. Appliances, Millipore Corp., Optical Coating Lab, OíRyan Corp., Polaroid Corp.,
Supra Products, Titleist and Foot-Joy Worldwide
Electronics: Amp, ECAD Design Services, Endevco, Kulicke &
Saffa, Kulicke Sossa, Sensormatic Electronics, Tektronics, Texas Instruments
Packaged Goods: Kraft Foods
Textiles: Milliken & Co.
Other: Ideo Chicago
For additional detail on this project, see ASME's World Wide Web page http://www.asme.org/educate/execsum.html. Information on obtaining the complete final report can be found there.
Reengineering Best Practices
Reengineering Toolkits and Document Templates
About Prosci. Prosci is a registered trademark of the
Quality Leadership Center, Inc. Copyright 1996-2001. All Rights Reserved.
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