Transcript for EO403 - Methodologies, Methods and Tools.PDF

Graduate Apprenticeship - Engineering Design and Manufacture Class: EO403 - Design for X Methodologies, Methods and Tools In today's session, we will be looking at methodologies, methods, and tools. These terms are used interchangeably in literature. Within this session, we'll propose standard defi...

Graduate Apprenticeship - Engineering Design and Manufacture Class: EO403 - Design for X Methodologies, Methods and Tools In today's session, we will be looking at methodologies, methods, and tools. These terms are used interchangeably in literature. Within this session, we'll propose standard definitions to each of these for the purposes of standardisation and to facilitate communication between students and lecturers. Let's start with design methodologies. What is a design methodology? Well, a design methodology is a structured approach to the design process often presented in the form of a design model. For example, Stuart Pugh's Total Design methodology. A good way to think of a methodology is that it is the process you will go through from idea to market. There are lots of different methodologies in existence. For example, the BS 7000 Guide to Managing Product Development, The Institute of Design at Stanford, the UK Design Council's Double Diamond methodology. There are lots of different options you can choose when you're developing a product from idea to market. Methodologies can be either descriptive or prescriptive. For example, Stuart Pugh's Total Design, this is an example of a prescriptive methodology. The UK Design Council's Double Diamond methodology, this is an example of a descriptive methodology. We'll now discuss the differences. As a new designer, we may find it beneficial to follow a prescriptive approach. A prescriptive approach will follow a more analytical and systematic approach with clearly identified steps that the designer can follow in the execution of their design project. All the way from coming up with your idea right through to market, you're guided by a series of steps. As we develop as designers, we may begin to use a more descriptive methodology. A descriptive approach will allow us to be more heuristic, utilising our prior knowledge and experience. This approach encourages us to discover and learn for ourselves, so for example, the UK Design Council's Double Diamond methodology. These are just some of the many methodologies in existence, and we encourage you to do further research into the others. Each has very different strengths and weaknesses, and each can be more applicable at different design projects. A good designer will understand the various methodologies available to them and be able to apply the most relevant approach to the given project at that time. In summary, a good methodology should be useful to the designer. It should establish why and when there is a need for support. It should help designers to communicate and cope with uncertainty as they develop their products. And it should help to plan strategically and manage cash-flow in the business to cope with demands of product development. This is particularly useful in small businesses. A good methodology should also help organisations to be more effective and efficient through improving Page 1/3 efficiency, minimising error, and improving the overall product quality. It will also minimise lead times by formalising the design procedure so there's clearly identified stages and steps that the designer will move through from product idea all the way through to market. This can optimise the lead time involved with developing a product. A good methodology should also contribute to producing enhanced design outputs, increased probability of safe product operation, meeting quality standards, and avoiding any product liability issues. One important point to always remember, regardless of what methodology you choose to adopt, is that it's important to know when to stop and move on to the next stage. Sometimes designers can get trapped in the same stage much longer than necessary and can often find themselves going around in circles. Part of the skill of being a good designer is knowing, when is the right time to stop and move onto the next stage? Now let's look at design methods. A design method is an identifiable, systematic way of working which improves the design solution from a specific perspective. For example, from the perspective of safety, from the perspective of manufacturability, from the perspective of quantity, etc. There is a long list of different perspectives that you can adopt when you're looking at design. Examples of design methods are failure modes and effect analysis, also called FMEA. Quality function deployment, also called QFD, is another example of a method. There is a variety of methods that you can choose to adopt at various different stages throughout the design process. A good way to think of a design method is that it's the how in design. So for example, we need to develop a range of concepts. How are we going to do that? We might brainstorm. We might use 6-3-5. We might use a morphological chart. The 'hows' are examples of design methods, so always try to think of it as the 'how' you're going to do something. Any structured approach within the context of designing could be considered to be a design method. There are many different design methods which can be deployed at various stages throughout the design process, starting with our initial stage of requirements definition onto concept design, then moving onto detailed design, onto manufacture, and finally onto sale and support. There's a variety of different methods that you can adopt throughout this entire process. We'll look at some of these in greater detail in other videos. Many of these methods are utilised repetitively at various stages in the design process. And that's OK because we have to choose the design method that is most applicable to what we're trying to achieve, and that can vary throughout the design process. The skill as a designer is to identify which methods are applicable and what will aid your product development in relation to your aim at that particular stage. The third term that we're going to look at is a design tool. A design tool is a device or aid which supports the application of a design method. So for example, CAD/CAM software or House of Quality, these are examples of design tools. CAD/CAM, computer aided design and computer aided manufacture, would be the design method. However, the specific tool used to implement the method would be the software which we choose to use. That's how you differentiate between the method and the tool. The method is the way in which you're going to do something, and the tool supports the method. So for example, quality function deployment. This is a method by which we translate customer requirements into engineering requirements. QFD is our overall method. The House of Quality is then a specific tool that we use in the application of this method for defining the relationships between customer needs and product service capabilities. It's important to note the difference between a design method and a design tool. The method is the how and the process we're following. The tool is then used to support the implementation of that method. Both are Page 2/3 different things but work simultaneously together. So why do we use design methods and tools? Well, design methods are an integral part of the overall design process. They allow design tasks to be performed more effectively. They improve the overall quality of the design solution as they allow us to focus on a particular aspect of the design at a particular given time. And they support the team and external stakeholder communication. Design methods are the how. When we face a challenge in product design-i.e. a how do I generate concepts, how do I develop or improve my design for manufacture, how do I reduce cost and maintain value-we rely on design methods to guide us and help us to derive a solution, ultimately improving our design and presenting a better solution. So to summarise, part of the skill of being a good designer is identifying appropriate methodologies, methods, and tools and creating the right conditions for their use throughout the entire product development process. Page 3/3