UME1421:Product Design and

Development

Unit 1
PRODUCT SPECIFICATION
 Unit – I

Introduction: Classification/ Specifications of Products-

Product life cycle. Product mix- Introduction to product
design- Modern product development process- Innovative
thinking - Morphology of design

Course Outcome

On Successful completion of Unit 1 students will be able

to understand the basics of product design, product
development process and morphology of design

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 Lecture Plan and Reference
Lecture Topic Pg no:
Number
1 Introduction
1-10
2 Classification/ Specifications of Products 91-114
3 Product life cycle Refer Study
Material
4 Introduction to product design 1-10

5 Modern product development process 11-32

6 Modern product development process 11-32

7 Innovative thinking Refer Study

Material

8 Morphology of design Refer Study

Material

Reference Text Book

Karl T Ulrich, Steven D Eppinger, Product Design & Development,
Tata McGrawhill, New Delhi 2003

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 Product Specifications

Teaching materials to accompany:

Product Design and Development
Chapter 6
Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.

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 Product Design and Development
Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Chapter Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Development Processes and Organizations
3. Opportunity Identification
4. Product Planning
5. Identifying Customer Needs
6. Product Specifications
7. Concept Generation
8. Concept Selection
9. Concept Testing
10. Product Architecture
11. Industrial Design
12. Design for Environment
13. Design for Manufacturing
14. Prototyping
15. Robust Design
16. Patents and Intellectual Property
17. Product Development Economics
18. Managing Projects

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 Concept Development Process

Mission Development
Statement Identify Establish Generate Select Test Set Plan Plan
Customer Target Product Product Product Final Downstream
Needs Specifications Concepts Concept(s) Concept(s) Specifications Development

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products

Build and Test Models and Prototypes

Target Specs Final Specs

Based on customer needs Based on selected concept,
and benchmarking feasibility, models, testing,
and trade-offs

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 Outline
• Product Specification
• Types of Specification
• Nature of specifications
• Spec vs. specs.
• Target vs. final specs.
• Process for setting target specs
• Process for setting final specs

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 What is a Product Specification?

A product specification (also referred to as “product specs”) is a document

that provides information to the manufacturing team to build out new
features or functionality.

It provides clear instructions on the intent, performance and

construction of the project.

It can reference the quality and standards which should be applied.

Materials and manufacturers' products can be clearly defined.

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 Specifications type:
document that provides information

•Design Specifications
•Test Specifications

•Material Specifications

•Performance Specifications

•Standard Specifications

•Quality Specifications
•Interface Specifications

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 Spec vs. Specs
• A spec consists of a metric, a unit, and a value
• Specs has a set of specs.

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 Target vs. Final Specs
• Target specs: the hope and aspiration of the design
(ideal and marginal)
• Refined specs: trade-offs among different desired
characteristics.
– Intermediate specs
• Final specs
– It is in the project’s contract book

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 Nature of Specifications

• The reference point for functionality design and quality

planning

• A product assembly usually requires a hierarchy of

specs, for the final product and each of its components

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 Product cycle of a bicycle-suspension
Assume that the T.I. cycle wants to manufacture the suspension
systems based on the customers’ needs

Bi-cycle without suspension

Bi-cycle with suspension

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 The Product Specs Process

1. Set Target Specifications

– Based on customer needs and benchmarks
– Develop metrics for each need
– Set ideal and acceptable values
2. Refine Specifications
– Based on selected concept and feasibility testing
– Technical and economic modeling
– Trade-offs are critical
3. Reflect on the Results and the Process
– Critical for ongoing improvement
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 Procedure for establishing target
specifications
1. Identify a list of metrics and measurement
units that sufficiently address the needs
2. Collect the competitive benchmarking
information
3. Set ideal and marginally acceptable target
values for each metric (using at least, at most,
between, exactly, etc.)
4. Reflect on the results and the process

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 Process for setting the final specifications
1. Develop technical models to assess technical feasibility. The input
is design variable and the output is a measurement using a metric.
2. Develop a cost model of the product.
3. Refine the specifications, making tradeoffs, where necessary to
form a competitive map.
4. “Flow down” the final overall specs to specs for each subsystem
(component and part).
5. Reflect on the results to see
 Whether the product is a winner, and/or
 How much uncertainty there is in the technical and cost model, or
 Whether there is a need to develop a better technical model.

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17
 Product Specifications Example:
Mountain Bike Suspension Fork

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 Start with the Customer Needs

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 Metrics Exercise:
Ball Point Pen

Customer Need:
The pen writes smoothly.

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 Establish Metrics and Units

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 Link Metrics to Needs

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 Benchmark on Customer Needs

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 Benchmark on Metrics

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 Assign Marginal and Ideal Values

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 Concept Development Process

Mission Development
Statement Identify Establish Generate Select Test Set Plan Plan
Customer Target Product Product Product Final Downstream
Needs Specifications Concepts Concept(s) Concept(s) Specifications Development

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products

Build and Test Models and Prototypes

Target Specs Final Specs

Based on customer needs Based on selected concept,
and benchmarking feasibility, models, testing,
and trade-offs

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 Perceptual Mapping Exercise

Crunch KitKat
Opportunity?
Nestlé
Crunch

Hershey’s
w/ Almonds

Hershey’s
Milk Chocolate

Chocolate
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 Specification Trade-offs
Estimated Manufacturing Cost ($)

Trade-off Curves
for Three Concepts

Score on Monster (Gs)

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 Set Final Specifications

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 Quality Function Deployment

(House of Quality )

technical
correlations

relative engineering
importance metrics

customer benchmarking
needs on needs
relationships between
customer needs and
engineering metrics

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target and final specs
 Summary
Product Specification clear instructions on the intent, performance and
construction of the project

There Various types of Product Specification which is essential for effective

Product development

Tool for deriving Product specification is House of Quality

Preparation of Product Specification starts with Target Specification and

completes with Final Specifications as indicated in the flow chart

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 Self Assessment Question
• Define Product Specification
• Define the types of Product Specification and explain
each type
• Define Target and Final Specifications
• Define the steps executed to derive Final Specifications
of a product using House of Quality

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 Self Assessment – Case Study

Metric Exercise: Ball Point Pen

 Identify five possible metrics and the unit of measure for a customer
need as stated below:

The pen writes smoothly.

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 Thank You

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