Chapter%207%20Concept%20Selection

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Chapter 7Concept Selection
MSE-415 Product DesignLecture 7
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Lecture Objectives

• Turn in and discuss Homework 4
• Discuss structured methods for selecting a single
  concept design from several available designs.

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Concept Selection

• Concept selection is part of the overall concept
  development phase.

Mission Statement
Development Plan
Identify Customer Needs
Establish Target Specifications
Generate Product Concepts
Select Product Concept(s)
Set Final Specifications
Plan Downstream Development
Test Product Concept(s)
Perform Economic Analysis
Benchmark Competitive Products
Build and Test Models and Prototypes
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Concept Selection

• Non-structured methods for choosing a concept

1. External Decision
2. Product Champion
3. Intuition
4. Multi-voting
5. Pros and Cons
6. Prototype and Test
7. Decision Matrices

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Concept Selection

• External Decision

Concepts are turned over to the customer, client,
or some other external entity for selection.
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Concept Selection

• Product Champion

An influential member of the product development
team choosesa concept based upon personal
preference.
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Concept Selection

• Intuition

The concept is chosen by its feel. Explicit
criteria or trade-offsare not used. The concept
just seems better.
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Concept Selection

• Multi-voting

Each member of the team votes for several
concepts. Theconcept with the most votes is
selected.
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Concept Selection

• Pros and Cons

The team lists the strengths and weaknesses of
each conceptand makes a choice based upon group
opinion.
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Concept Selection

• Prototype and Test

The organization builds and tests prototypes of
each conceptmaking a selection based upon test
data.
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Concept Selection

• Decision Matrices

The team rates each concept against pre-specified
selectioncriteria, which may be weighted.
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Concept Selection

• Structure Method Offers Several Benefits

• Customer Focused Product
• Concepts explicitly evaluated against customer
  criteria.
• Competitive Design
• Benchmarking pushes the design to match or exceed
  competitorsperformance along key dimensions.
• Better product-process coordination
• Evaluation with respect to manufacturing helps
  match the productwith the capabilities of the
  firm.
• Reduced time to product introduction
• Structured method becomes common language within
  firm. Increasedcommunication, decreased
  ambiguity, fewer false starts.
• Effective group decision making
• Decision making based upon objective criteria and
  minimizes arbitraryor personal factors that
  influence product concept.
• Documentation of the decision process
• A structured method results in a readily
  understood archive of the rationale behind
  concept decisions.

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Concept Development Funnel
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Concept Selection

• Overview of Concept Screening Methodology

1. Prepare a selection matrix
2. Rate the concepts
3. Rank the concepts
4. Combine and improve the concepts
5. Select one or more concepts
6. Reflect on the results and the process

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Concept Selection

• Prepare a selection matrix for syringe.

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Concept Selection

• Rate the Concepts

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Concept Selection

• Rank the Concepts

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Concept Selection

• Combine and Improve Concepts

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Concept Selection

• Select one or more concepts

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Concept Selection

• Overview of Concept Scoring Methodology

1. Prepare a selection matrix
2. Rate the concepts
3. Rank the concepts
4. Combine and improve the concepts
5. Select one or more concepts
6. Reflect on the results and the process

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Concept Selection

• Prepare a selection matrix

Bolded 3s indicate reference.
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Next WeekOctober 17, 2007

• Homework due
• Page 140 Exercises 2, 3, 4
• Read Chapter 8 Concept Testing
• Discuss structured methods for evaluating concept
  designs.