SECOND CHAPTER

NEED IDENTIFICATION AND PROBLEM DEFINITION

Design projects commonly fall into one of the five types:

Variation of an existing product

Improvement of an existing product

Development of a new product

Development of new product mass production

One of a kind design

Variation of an existing product:

This involves the change of at most a few parameters such as the power of a motor or the
design of a fastening bracket.

Improvement of an existing roduct :

More major redesign can be brought about by the need to improve performance or update
features because of connecting the requirement to improve quality .

Development of a new product for a low volume production:

Many products are made only a few times in volumes less than 100,000 total units .he prospect
of low quality production as opposed to mass production constrain the selection of
manufacturing processes to those with cheaper tooling costs.

Development of a new product for mass production:

This is the category of the automobile, major appliance top of the line PC .The design project
allows an engineer flexibility in selecting materials.

One of a kind design: Problem Definition

Thse design projects can vary fromProblem Statement

a quick simple design ,using a minimum of analysis as in the
design of a welding fixture to hold an assembly, to a large expensive system like a 100 MW
steam turbine. Benchmarking

QFD

PDS

Project Planning
Problem Definition:

Problem Statement:

Benchmarking:It is a method of measuring a company’s operation against the best

companies both inside and outside of the industries .It takes its name from the surveyor’s
benchmark or reference point from which elevations are measured.

QFD:Quality Function Deployment:QFD is a process- a methodology- for planning

products and services. It starts with the voice of the customer, this is the input. The customer’s
wants and needs become the devices for the development of requirements for the new or
revised product /service. The QFD process requires a no of inputs and decisions that are best
done through teamwork.
Tools used for improvement:-

Many tools have ben developed to help companies s more work on challenges more
efectively .These are as shown in figure below:

(FIG.some typical improvement tools)

QFD is a planning process as opposed to a tool for problem solving or analysis.

The customer’s wants and needs – their requirements are the inputs to the matrix.

It uses a matrix to display information vital to the project in brief outline format.

This collection of information in the matrix format facilitates examination, cross checking and
analysis.

It helps in organisation set competitive targets and determine the priority action issues.

The output from analysis of QFD matrix is twofold:

1.competitive targets are established for key action items related to customer’s voice.

2.certain priority issues are selected for special emphasis.

QFD and Product Develpoment Process:

There is a great flexibility inherent in the use of QFD methodology .Planning can be on a major
scale or limited in scope .The concept can be used only for the early product planning ,or it can
be used on subsequent subsystem issues in designing or processing .It can be used to help
organise production planning isues and to examine service or after market concerns.

Objective of QFD Process:

“QFD should be viewed from a very global perspective as a methodology that will link a
company with its customers and assist the organisation with planning processes .QFD processes
help in the organisation and analysis of all the pertinent information associated with a project.

QFD Matrix:

In planning a new product ,engineers have always examined the manufacturing and
performance history of the current product .They look at laboratory or field test data
,compairing their product the competitor’s product .

QFD uses a matrix format to capture a number of issues pertinent and vital to the planning
process .This encourages effective decisions based on a team’s examination and integration of
the pertinent data.

QFD matrix has two principal parts.The horizontal portion of the matrix contains information
relative to its customers .The vertical portion of the matrix contains information that
corresponds to customer inputs.

DIAGRAM NO.2
Customer Portion:

Customers express their wants and needs in their own language. In describing a control on a
piece of equipment ,customers might state “what the control to be easy to operate”.Company
has to change these customer’s words into language that they can use internally to describe
and measure the item.

Technical Portion:

Once the customer portion of the matrix has been determined, the next step is to develop the
technical information portion of the matrix. The first step is to determine how the company will
respond to each voice. The technical or design requirements that the company will use to
describe and measure each customer’s voice placed across the top of the matrix.

The centre portion of the matrix where the customer and technical portion intersects provides
an opportunity to record the presence and strength of relationshi[s between these inputs and
action systems. Symbols are used to indicate the strength of these relationships.

The items what, how relationships and how much are the four basic parts of matrix. Trade off’s
can be examined and recorded in the triangular matrix at the top.This is acomplished by
compairing each technical requirement against other technical requirements.

The company then begins a study to determine the target value that should be established for
each technical requirement. A comparison of the customer’s competitive ratings and the
competitive technical assessments helps the organisation determine these targets.
Making QFD process an integral part of the Product Development Process:

Companies that have investigated new processes such as QFD and tools such as FTA and FMEA
usually find that many of these mesh with their organizational needs and have good value.
However ,if these methodologies are not embedded in the compan’s product planning and
development process,chances are strong that the processes and tools will seldom be used
.Their absence from an approved process is tantamount to a declaration that they are not
considered valuable requisites by the company. The recent emergence of interest in the ideas
of TQM represent another attempt to review the tools and processes that are accepted
requisites for companies that wish to economically produce parts that satisfy their customers A
number of recent studies report that these programs are not achieving the accepted results
because they are not being embedded in the processes and culture of the organisation .Success
will not be achieved simply as a result of introducing the organisation to new concepts and
stating that they are endorsed by management. .The effort needs to be accompanied by an
investigation of the processes by which the company currently plans, designs and manufactures
a product. Flowcharts need to be developed for the existing processes and examined to
determine how the new tools must be meshed with xisting processes .If QFD is made a
formalised part of the product development cycle, it will help an organisation accomplish the
objective of understanding its customers and designing products and services that meet the
customers’ requirements in a superior , exciting way.
Fish bone diagram….

The company then begins a study to determine the target value that should be established for
each technical requirement.A comparison of the customer’s competitive ratings and the
competitive technical assessments helps the organisation determine these targets.