Design Methodology and Process

Models
MEEN 601: Advanced Product Design
Fall 2022

MEEN 601 – Advanced Product Design 1

 Recall: Characteristics of an Engg. Design Problem
Design mechanical gearing that has a Looks like a “design problem” from
speed ratio of 1.75:1 and can handle an undergrad class…
loads up to 1500 Nm at speeds up to But this is a very narrow view of
10,000 rpm. design

Design a means for removing plastic waste from our

Engineering design problems are often: oceans
• Ambiguous
• Open-ended Design a system for transporting humans and their
belongings from one planet to another
• Subjective
2
• Have more than one viable solution Design a chair that reduces back fatigue and is
• Could be impossible pleasing to the user
• Involve incomplete information Design a means for monitoring an individual’s health
over time
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 Today
Module Objectives:
• To introduce the activity of design
• To motivate and explain design as a process
• To explain the role, importance and limitations of design methodology
New Ideas: You should be able to:
• Design as a process • Explain why it is important to view design as a process
• Prescriptive process model • Interpret common design process models
• Common process models • If given steps of a design methodology, you should be able to
(Waterfall, Vee, Spiral) organize them into the appropriate sequence (i.e., order
• Impact of organization on process & from first to last)
methodology • If given a design methodology or process model that is new
to you, you should be able to relate it to a familiar one.

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 Design as a “Wicked Problem”
Design problems, Wicked Problems, Their characteristics etc..

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 https://understandinggroup.com/information-architecture/skirmishing-with-ill-defined-and-wicked-problems/

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 https://csl4d.wordpress.com/wicked-problems/

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 Engineering Design as “Wicked” Problems
• The tough (fun) design problems exhibit
the characteristic of Wicked Problems as
originally described by Rittel (Rittel &
Webber, 1973).

• Rittel and Webber’s 1973 formulation of

wicked problems in social policy
planning specified ten characteristics.

https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/facing-
complexity-wicked-design-problems-ee8c71618966

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 Engineering Design As a Process
Why we need a process, elements of design

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 Engineering Design

• A systematic, intelligent process in which designers generate, evaluate,

and specify concepts for devices, systems, or processes whose form and
function achieve clients’ objectives or users’ needs while satisfying a
specified set of constraints.

MEEN 601 – Advanced Product Design 9

 Engineering Science
• A common premise of much of the
engineering curriculum is that a specific
answer, or a specific set of answers, exists Data Facts
for a given question.

Answer Or Answer
• Such questions are characteristic of Facts Data
convergent thinking, where the A B
questioner attempts to converge on and
reveal truths.
Data Facts

• Therefore, answers to converging

questions are expected to be hold truth
value, that is, to be verifiable.

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 Engineering Design
• Much of Design is “divergent thinking”
• You are generating different ways to solve a problem
Idea Idea

• We are looking at problems that need an innovative

solution that is:
• Solving a problem not yet solved.
• Better than any existing solutions. Idea STIMULUS Idea

• Design cannot be reduced to truths so different

approaches must be sought.
Idea Idea

• Current best design education practice is to teach a

structured design process and formal methods for the
different stages of design.

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 Engineering Design as a Process
Design mechanical gearing that has a
speed ratio of 1.75:1 and can handle
loads up to 1500 Nm at speeds up to
10,000 rpm.

This problem statement hides the process required to get to this point:
• How do we determine the maximum load and speed numbers? Ditto
for speed ratio. Are these hard constraints or can we make some
tradeoffs?
• Does it have to be gears? How do we determine that?
• By when must the design be completed?
• How much testing is required?
• …

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 Elements of Design Technical Domain Information
Management
Knowledge

• Technical knowledge Project

• Science, math, etc. Management Creative Thought

• Creativity
• Mind’s output Design
• Information
• Input/output
• Project Management

Is this accurate for both an engineer

and an artist? Useful Products and Systems
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 Importance of Good Design

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 Importance of Good Design

Even the highest standard of detailed design cannot compensate for a poor design concept
formulated at the conceptual design phase – Hsu and Liu (2000)
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 Difficulties for Novice Designers
• Inclined to a “solution” based approach

• Become fixed on initial concept

• As more is learned about problem and initial concepts, don’t realize that
different concepts may be better

• Research [Fricke, 96] shows that the best way to develop design
ability is to use a process that is both “structured and flexible”
(they produced more different, and better designed solutions)

• So, we will employ a process that is both structured and flexible

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 Design Process Models
Different ways of organizing a design project
Understanding how they are different and when they are the same

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 Main Steps/Phases in a Design process?
• What are your thoughts?

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 Some Ways to Organize a Design Methodology Conceptually

Tasks (to be) Completed: needs analysis, Documentation Created: concept of operations,
requirements definition, functional modeling, idea requirements document, risk reports, change requests,
generation, concept selection, prototyping, etc. specifications document, etc.

Tools Used: CAD, CAE (FEA, CFD, etc.), requirements Decisions Made: materials to use, sizes of parts, who to
management system, simulation software, use as supplier, how much testing and which tests to
optimization software, etc. perform, which concept to use, who to consider as
customer, etc.
Knowledge Needed: customer needs, design
requirements, mechanics, dynamics, Who is Involved: various departments and teams within an
thermodynamics, etc. organization, other organizations, etc.

We will focus on processes based on tasks, but the other

considerations are important parts of an overall methodology.
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 Design “Methodology”
[Oxford English Dictionary]
Originally: the branch of knowledge that deals with method generally or with the methods of a particular
discipline or field of study; (arch.) a treatise or dissertation on method; (Bot.) †systema c classifica on
(obs. rare). Subsequently also: the study of the direction and implications of empirical research, or of the
suitability of the techniques employed in it; (more generally) a method or body of methods used in a
particular field of study or activity.

[Merriam-Webster]
1. a body of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline;
a particular procedure or set of procedures
2. the analysis of the principles or procedures of inquiry in a particular field
So, design methodology can mean:
(1) methods (including processes) used to do design and (2) study of the same.
Both meanings relevant to this class.

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 A Model of the Engineering Design Process

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 Another Model

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 March’s Model

Three types of process that act together in order to create

a new design.

• Production: produces an initial design proposal, from

many possibilities, that is a candidate to solve the
design problem in hand

• Deduction: applies known theories and understanding

to predict the performance of a design proposal.

• Induction: evaluates a design against specification.

Resulting changes and refinements help generate a new
design proposal (production again).
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/engineering-and-
technology/design-and-innovation/design/design/content-section-3.3.1

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 March’s Model
Do I build a timber-frame house on my plot of
land, or a brick-built house (production of a
candidate idea)?

Some calculations of energy efficiency, cost of

labour, and a judgement on the resale value leads
me to a conventional UK design in brick and glass
(deductions about the idea).

Whilst planning a conservatory I hit on the idea of

using it to channel warm air into the main living
space, so refining the design (induction to further
design ideas).

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/engineering-and-
technology/design-and-innovation/design/design/content-section-3.3.1

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 German Model

Starcevic et. Al (2006)

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 Archer’s Model French’s Model
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 Pahl & Beitz Model

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 Pahl & Beitz Model

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 Pahl & Beitz Model

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 Phases of an Engineering Design Project [Pahl & Beitz]
Planning and • What is the design problem? Who are the customers & stakeholders? What do they want?
Clarification Where can we get more info?
• Clarify desired high-level functionality
• Develop design requirements & objectives; develop project plan and schedule

Conceptual Design • Perform functional decomposition

• Allocate requirements to sub-functions (as needed)
• Identify “working principles” that achieve desired functions
• Combine various working principles into design concepts
• Evaluate design concepts and choose most promising

Embodiment Design • Identify physical implementations of design concept

• Evaluate alternative implementations and choose most promising
• Refine and improve

Detail Design • Generate parts lists & detailed production drawings

• Complete instructions for production, assembly, etc.
• Finalize documentation

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 Another View [Ullmann]
Product Discovery • Recognition of opportunity or need
• Technology push, market pull, product change (redesign)
Project Planning • Develop project plan (allocation of firm’s resources) and schedule

Product Definition • What is the design problem? Who are the stakeholders? What do they want? Where
can we get more info?
• Clarify desired high-level functionality
• Develop design requirements

Conceptual Design • Identify candidate means for achieving desired functionality

• Select most promising candidate for development
Product • Embodiment and detail design of product
Development • At end of this phase, product is ready for production
Product Support • Ongoing activities in support of full product lifecycle
• Not always practiced for every product

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 Bottom Line

Pick up any two texts and you will find Pick any two companies and you will
two different methodologies find two different methodologies

Look more closely and you will find they all are very similar

We will use Pahl and Beitz terminology for major phases

If you understand the concepts, you will be able to relate other methodologies to one
you already know well.

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 A Simplified Design Process

1. Identify a need
2. Create engineering representation of the need This part probably is
WHAT needs to be done? more important
3. Develop concepts for solution
HOW will it be done?
4. Embody concept(s) Probably what many of
Ideas become physical artifacts or systems you envision when
5. Documentation/communication of solution for thinking about design
production

 Iterate as necessary

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 A Simplified Design Process

1. Identify a need
2. Create engineering representation of the need
WHAT needs to be done?
3. Develop concepts for solution
HOW will it be done?
4. Embody concept(s)
Ideas become physical artifacts or systems This refers to documenting &
5. Documentation/communication of solution for delivering the solution
production
Can’t wait until end to
 Iterate as necessary communicate with stakeholders

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 Prescriptive Design Models
Prescribe: To provide instructions on how to proceed (course of action)
Sequence of steps without specifying methods to use

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 • Activity trends from top down,
left to right
Waterfall Process Prototype • Movement in other direction
represent iteration
Phase 1 • Can model hierarchically, with
each box on this diagram being its
own waterfall process

Phase 2

Primary Flow Phase N

Secondary Flow
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 Pahl & Beitz Model in Waterfall Form
Planning &
Clarification

Conceptual
Design

Embodiment
Design

Primary Flow Detail Design

Secondary Flow
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 Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
• Simple to understand
• Simple to manage

Disadvantages:
• Rigid structure; does not allow for
overlapping phases
• Assumes requirements are well
known a priori / doesn’t work well
when requirements change often

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 Vee Model
• More specialized to Systems
Engineering
• Items at top deal with system-
level; closer to bottom of Vee is
more component focused
• Notice correspondence between
definition phases (downward
slope) and integration phases
(upward slope)
• Notice product design is
subsumed by Vee

MEEN 601 – Advanced Product Design 39

 Terminology Note: Design vs. Systems
Engineering
“Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems.
It focuses on defining customer needs and required functionality early in the development cycle, documenting
requirements, then proceeding with design synthesis and system validation while considering the complete
problem of operations, performance, test, manufacturing, cost & schedule, training & support, and disposal.”
[INCOSE]

• SE is broader than design. Includes design, but also

Huh? verification, test, etc.
• Successful design projects also involve many of these steps,
so the distinction is more in the methods used.
• SE tends to be “methodology heavy” and important when
projects are larger.
• Many concepts apply to both.

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 Vee Model

• Similar strengths/weaknesses as
waterfall
• Improvements over waterfall include
– Potential for some overlapping stages
– Explicit linking of definition and
verification stages

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 Spiral Model
• Described by Barry Boehm in 1986
in context of software
development
• Easily adapted to product
development
• Not intended as a literal process
model—i.e., usually is concurrent
rather than one spiral flow
• Many variations/extensions exist

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 A More Elaborate Example: NASA’s SE Engine

• From NASA Systems Engineering

Handbook
• Example of what you might see in
industry
• Multiple concurrent processes that
interact

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 Other Design Process Issues: Design Reviews

Design Reviews:
• Common to have periodic reviews conducted by managers,
organizational leadership, clients, or independent outside agencies
• Provides opportunity for formal feedback / course correction
• A form of gate or milepost in a project
• (As you might imagine) more elaborate in larger projects
• A bad review can kill a project

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 Other Design Process Issues: Design Reviews
Example design reviews conducted by U.S. Government (for acquisitions projects)
• Mission concept review
PDR: Demonstrate that preliminary design
• System requirements review
• Meets all system requirements
• Mission definition review
• Has acceptable risk
• Systems design review
• Is within cost & schedule constraints
• Preliminary design review
• Critical design review CDR:
• Production readiness review • Demonstrate design is sufficiently mature to
• Test readiness review begin full-scale production.
• System acceptance review • Still must be meeting requirements, is within
• Flight readiness review cost & schedule constraints, etc.

Other organizations have other terminology / review schedules (NASA

has twice as many named major reviews)
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 At NASA, you might see
something like this

Major reviews and

decision points are
indicated (blue and
orange triangles)

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