LO2:- Prepare Specifications

By Muluneh N
Dec.2007 E.C
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 1
 Product Specifications

• Perform Benchmarking
• Establish target specifications
• Finalize specifications

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 2

 Benchmarking
The continuous process of measuring products against the
competitors or those recognized as industry leaders.

Benchmarking Approach

Step 1: Make a list of design issues

example – coffee mill

Identify design issues: price, grind time,

fineness of grind, noise level, size

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 3

 Benchmarking
Step 2: Make a list of competitive products
example: coffee mill
Krups, Braun, Cuisinar, Bosch, ….
Step 3: Conduct an information search
Gather as much information about the
product as possible (functions they perform and
targeted market)
Sources: Internet, Trade Mag., Consumer
Reports Mag., Thomas Register of Comp.,
Moody’s Industry Review, National Bureau of
Standards, Patents.
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 4
 Benchmarking
Comparison of coffee mills – Consumer Report Magazine

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 5

 Benchmarking
Step 4: Teardown the competitor’s product
select competitive products that are
leaders on some aspect, disassemble and
make a list of all components.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 6

 Benchmarking
Teardown method – Subtract and Operate Procedure (SOP)

1. Disassemble (subtract) one component of the

assembly or subassembly
2. Operate the product, if possible, through its full
range.
3. Analyze and document the effect.

SOP determines the functionality and/or redundancies

in an assembly.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 7

 Benchmarking
Step 5: Compare competitive products
Summarize the comparison by
component function and /or by
customer needs importance.

Step 6: Establish best-in-class competitor

For each function, determine the
highest performance solution. Also,
determine the least expensive solution.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 8

 Benchmarking
Step 7: Manufacturing and Assembly cost Analysis.
Coffee mill example

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 9

 Comments on Benchmarking
• Generally speaking, benchmarking can be
effective for understanding the market.
• It can identify key innovations and technologies.
• It will not uncover new innovations being
developed by competition., provides lagging
information.
• Do not benchmark all competitive products, stay
away from loser products.
• If a company is a clear market leader,
benchmarking may not offer much insight.
• Benchmarking requires wisdom and judgment.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 10

 Product Specifications
A set of engineering targets that a product has to satisfy.
Specifications are measurable criteria, goals for the
design team.
Specification consists of a metric and a value
metric : total weight, torque, speed, ….
value : between 5-7 lbs., 100 in-lb minimum …
• Target specifications are set before conceptual design.
• Specifications are refined after product concept has been
selected.
• Specifications are frequently revisited and modified during the
design process.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 11

 Different Forms of Value
• A particular number – load capacity, 2000 lbs.
• A range – weight between 10-20 lbs.
• An inequality – speed less the 10 ft/sec. Or
speed more than 5 ft/sec.

“It is desired to make the product as light as possible”

is a wish requirement not an engineering specification.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 12

 Functional Requirements vs. Constraints
Engineering requirements fall into two categories:
• Functional Requirements
State the specific performance of the product,
what the device should do.
transfer torque, lift weight, increase speed,...
• Constraints
state the limitations on the design, not directly related to
the function (cost, size, weight, safety issues, material, …)

Constraints can drive the solution of many products .

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 13

 Example – loudspeaker, qualitative
specifications vs., quantitative

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 14

 Process of Establishing Specifications

Prepare a list of metrics

 Use customer needs

 Use the design team knowledge and

experience

 Use specification breakdown list

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 15

 Specification breakdown list

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 16

 Quality Function Deployment, QFD
QFD is a methodology for defining the customer’s
desires in the customer’s own voice, prioritizing these
desires, translating them into engineering
requirements, and establishing targets for meeting the
requirements.

QFD was developed in 1972 at Mitsubishi, introduced

into US by the Xerox Corp. and has been adopted by a
number of industries, automobile, electronics,….

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 17

 QFD
1. Identifying the Customer(s)
Goal: Determine who will use the product
2. Determining Customer Requirements
Goal: Develop a complete list of all requirements
3. Determining Relative Importance of the
Requirements
Goal: Evaluate importance of each
requirements

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 18

 QFD
4. Competition Benchmarking
Goal: Determine how the customer perceives the
competition’s ability to meet the requirements
5. Translating Customer Requirements into
Measurable Engineering Requirements
Goal: Develop set of engineering requirements (design
specifications) that are measurable
6. Setting Engineering Targets for the Design
Goal: Determine target values for each engineering
requirements

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 19

 The House of Quality
A summary of the product specifications and supporting data
consisting of benchmarks, target values, and technical issues.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 20

 The + sign shows a
The Correlation strong positive
matrix
House of relationship which
indicates that as one
Quality metric is improved, the
other improves
automatic significantly as well

ice tea Functional The (-) sign shows a

brewer requirements conflict, if one metric
improves the other one
deteriorates.

Competitor
Customer rating
requirements

Engineering
targets

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 21

 Comments on House of Quality
• It provides a large quantity of information in a
very concise and well organized form.
• The intent of the House of Quality is consensus
building.
• The matrix should not be too large.
• The matrix does not generate specification, it
documents them.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engr. Dept., UC Berkeley 22