Saturday, September 21, 2013

Traditional Engineering Design Process



Traditional Engineering Design Process

There are two basic methods to engineering design, yet every company has its own model that it follows.  The two basic approaches are the traditional engineering design and concurrent engineering design.  The traditional engineering design process uses a linear approach. The concurrent approach is more web-like, but is still based on the linear approach.  There are 8 steps to the traditional approach.

Step 1:  State the Problem
This is the step where the basic design idea is conceived.  This is the step where the brainstorming takes place.  This is also the step where you would collaborate with team members and also perform research.
Step 2:  Analyze the Need
I believe this step is self-explanatory.  The engineer must decide if the product is practical and marketable.
Step 3:  Set the Objectives
In engineering this is the step were we would first set the general objectives and then specific objectives.  We would write a proposal explaining what the problem to be solved is that would include the design concept specifications and estimated costs.
Step 4:  Create Alternatives
In this step we would consider the physical design of the product.  You must consider all of the criteria required and what your constraining factors are.  If I were creating a design on a CAD system I would create several different models.
Step 5:  Check for Feasibility
Now is the time to study each of the design concepts carefully and select the design that best meets the objectives that were set as well as which design is the most marketable.  There is a loop in that begins in this step that goes back to Step 4 to optimize the design.
Step 6:  Select a solution/ develop a prototype
The most feasible solution is selected and then a prototype is constructed.  This is the part where you would test the design and make sure it meets the specifications.
Step 7:  Feedback/Market Response
The prototype is submitted and analyzed by a specific market research group. Your research group needs to be unbiased to get the best possible feedback.  If you find that changes are required the process reverts back to Step 4 and continues forward from there again.
  Draw the design

This is where the final drawings are prepared as well as specifications and other documentation.  The product is then turned over to marketing and manufacturing. And you move on to the next design problem.

I always liked the linear approach because it is simple and my drafting teaching in high school always told us to, “KISS IT: Keep It Simple, Stupid.”  That guy was awesome. That’s a different story, or maybe a different poem.

So as an engineer I am going to attempt poetry using this process because this is what I know.

4 comments:

  1. This post is not gained you too many responses so I will try to tackle it and give you my two cents. As a student in your classes I have heard these steps from you. They have been part of my projects. They have been in stories you have told the class and I, and i think that they could help you with your poetry.
    This is the way you think so use it. When you start your poetry decide what you are to write about (the problem). Think and write down what and how you want to portray your theme (analyzing and setting objectives). Write more than one poem (create alternative). Do not question feasibility. This is poetry not engineering. everything is possible in poetry. Now make your final product by combining and refining your poem (develop a prototype). Then do the last step and do research and marketing. This is what you are doing right now. You just post your poem and we try and help. As soon you becoming better with poetry you will probably be able to skip around with these steps. Maybe you were already doing this subconsciously? Possibly;y you already are skipping steps, but this is my suggestion for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I beg to differ. You state, "Do not question feasibility" but you have to do that with multiple poems written. Which poem is the best one? Which Poem is going to have the marketable affect that you are looking for?

      I think you hit every step of the process.
      Let's see one of your poems.

      Delete
  2. I tried to write a poem myself and I was not too sure where to post it...so I chose here...
    It is a poem about the impending college process, written in a quasi-minimalist style for extra interpretation left up to the reader...

    College Bound

    Number 2 pencils sharpened
    Sweat wiped off the brow
    Testing begins
    Scores come back
    Tears are wiped off
    Knuckles are cracked as essay writing process begins
    A knot forms in the stomach as the submit button is pressed.
    Months pass on by, seasons change
    The wait is finally over
    Letters come in the mail and are ripped open
    Some elicit tears, others shouts of joy
    The agony is over
    Th future is set
    At least for the next four years, until the process starts all over again

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's actually funny how closely this reflects the way I go through (some) of my own writing. There are possibly more parallels in this world than we even think to acknowledge - like between a poet's line of thought and that of an engineer. (Though you're both, of course!)

    Reading your comment about this being your approach because it's what you know reminded me of something we talked about in Mrs. Krasny's fourth block class. We were reading "I am the Grass" by Daly Walker, and to elaborate on it we read an interview with him. He's a surgeon as well as a war veteran, and he mentioned that many of his stories focus on that because that's what he knows. He said that that makes it more believable, not just because of technical knowledge but because you can really feel it. You relate to it in a way you wouldn't relate to - I don't know - the life and perspective of a mortician, for example. It's easier to breathe life into poetry (or prose) that connects to you and your life.

    ReplyDelete