Bringing a design to the manufacturing stage is no easy task. In order to visualize it clearly, the design process can be broken into four distinct phases. The first is task clarification. This function aims to define the essential problem the product is intended to solve. The second phase is conceptual design. This phase generates, selects and evaluates solutions to the problem as it is defined. The third phase is embodiment design, which develops the design solution, ushering it from the conceptual phase to its final layout. Lastly, there is the detail design phase, which carefully defines the dimensions of each and every component of the product with the intent of compiling the information the manufacturing department needs to make the product.

During each of these phases there are a number of turns in which the quality of the design becomes particularly vulnerable to common pitfalls. By taking the proper precautions, engineers can mitigate the chances for product failure and the costly redesign that typically follows.

Here are some "back to basic" precautions that all design engineers should keep in mind:

• Engineers must clarify their task. The design goes awry when the initial problem that needs to be solved has not been clearly defined.

• Members of the design team must to be able to communicate effectively. Though the engineers that make up design teams are efficient professionals they are often unable to share ideas and exchange information eloquently. The better a team leader can explain an objective to a manager, the better the chances the design team has of avoiding costly mistakes.

• A high level of communication must be maintained throughout the organization and with all pertinent parties engaged in the design of the product. This includes suppliers, consultants, and members of the design team residing in other parts of the world. In the burgeoning age of global electronic collaboration, communication is of the utmost importance.

• Evaluate the design for weak spots. Because conceptualizing is a collaborative process, the design will pass through many hands. A clear set of eyes needs to be present at all stages to look for mistakes and spot possible trouble areas.

• Focus on the result, rather than the methods used to reach the result. Now more than ever before there is a variable arsenal of tools at the design engineer's beck and call. With its array of design software, the computer has finally become the indispensable tool it was conceived as being. Engineers need to remember, however, that the computer is still only a tool and, as such, is only a means to an end. The engineer, and not his or her computer, is ultimately the guide for the design process.

• Keep the design as simple as possible. Unnecessary complexity tends to create problems in the product down the road. Products with an overabundance of intricate parts are difficult to clean and even harder to repair. Do yourself and your team of engineers a favor and keep the design trimmed to the essentials.

• Be specific about the intended functions of the product. Lack of clarity in design leaves a lot of gray areas in which mistakes can happen. Keep these gray areas shaded in by being as direct as possible about a product's intended use. This is especially important in the embodiment design stage.

• Always keep safety in mind when plotting the product's design. There are definite safety guidelines, such as the safety hierarchy, that engineers should follow when developing a concept. Proven techniques such as safe-life design, fail-safe design, redundant design and hazard-analysis are essential to the engineer in guaranteeing the safety and wellbeing of those who will eventually use the product.

• Follow quality procedures when selecting parts and materials. The use of below-par materials in the design can compromise the final product and create a hazard for those who use it. The aerospace and petroleum industries have already instituted strict procedural guidelines in choosing materials. Other industries can improve their products by following their lead.

• Keep a close eye on the product throughout the detail design phase. All too often an engineer will hand off a design to a craftsman to handle the detail design. Or, as is more and more often becoming the case, pass it off to a computer to complete. This out-of-sight-out-of-mind philosophy can result in less than sufficient attention being paid to the details, which in turn can compromise the final product.

By getting back to basics, and refocusing on the essential steps in design, engineers can bring products to the manufacturing stage with the minimum amount of error.

Source: Critical Factors in Design
Crispin Hales
Mechanical Engineering, July 2001
http://www.memagazine.org/medes01/features/critical/critical.html