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Stage Gate Process, Industrial Design DFX New product development process (NPD) A new product development process (NPD) is a process which new ideas, concepts or suggestions are transformed into real products and services that cater the needs of the customers. This often involves the assessment and ...

Description

Stage Gate Process, Industrial Design & DFX New product development process (NPD) A new product development process (NPD) is a process by which new ideas, concepts or suggestions are transformed into real products and services that cater the needs of the customers. This often involves the assessment and selection of different ideas and concepts and analysing the possible market success of each concept. One of the main objectives of the NPD process is to minimise the number of products that are cancelled in the later stages of development, where costs are much higher and the need for successful products is greater. Another objective of the NPD process is to accelerate the time for the product to be released on the market and reduce break-even times, taking into consideration the continuous improvement of the product. Critical success factors for NPD These factors can be classified into three categories: project, people and environment and strategic. These are described below: 1. Project level: a. Striving for unique superior products b. Market driven, customer focused c. Predevelopment work d. Stable project and product definition e. Planning and resourcing the launch f. Quality of execution of key tasks from idea to launch g. Speed (without compromising quality) 2. People and environment: a. Organisation of project teams b. Climate, culture, environment c. Top management support 3. Strategic: a. Product innovation and technology strategy for the business b. Synergy and familiarity c. Targeting attractive markets d. Project portfolio management (PPM) focusing on the business's operational and financial goals e. A multi-staged, NPD process covering Idea-to-Launch

Stage Gate Development model The main steps for this model are illustrated below:

1. Initial stage - discovery o Technical research and brainstorming of new, innovative, attractive ideas. o Uncovering unarticulated needs by working with lead users (e.g. innovative customers) and disruptions in the marketplace, which can lead to the identification of gaps and good business opportunities. o Suggestion schemes to encourage ideas from all employees. o Gate 1: analysing the project feasibility, existence of the market, product advantage, availability of resources and compliance with company's policies 2. Stage 1 - scoping o Determining project's technical and marketplace merits o Preliminary market, technical and business assessment (usually takes 10 - 20 days for a person to complete) based on new, more detailed research. o Gate 2: re-evaluation of product based on new research, and subjection of project to "Go" or "No Go" decision. Financial return of the product may be assessed by simple calculations on payback period. 3. Stage 2 - building business case o Clear description of the product based on advanced research and verification of the product's attractiveness o Market research studies including analysis of customer needs, wants and preferences for a winning product. o Appraisal of the technical feasibility of the project and possible manufacturing operations and processes, delineating how these are real and achievable.

Definition of the target market, product concept and its attributes and functionality, benefits and advantages, design requirements and specifications. o Detailed business and financial analysis involved a discounted net cash flow approach such as NPV (Net Present Value) or IRR (Internal Rate of Return), with a sensitivity analysis to account for possible financial risks and downfalls. o As a result from this stage, a project justification and detailed product plan are developed by taking into consideration the aforementioned aspects. o Gate 3: this gate signs off the project for development and heavier expenditures. This gate reviews the results from the business case and analyses solid data to make the "Go decision". The financial analysis is a very important part of the decision making process. 4. Stage 3 - development o Physical development of the product (acquisition of materials, tools, equipment, manufacturing processes, etc.) takes place. o Controlled laboratory or in-house (alpha) tests are performed to ensure the product meets the requirements. At the same time, market analysis and customer-feedback are performed as iterative processes to make improvements on the design. Rapid prototyping can be used to receive customer assessment and feedback. o Management and project control achieved through milestone check points for periodic review of the project and its development. o Production of an internally-tested prototype of the product. o Development of test plans, market launch plans and production plans, with an updated financial analysis. o Gate 4: review of the progress and attractiveness of the product. Quality and consistency of the product development is reviewed. Revision of financial analysis based on new and more accurate data. Test and validation plans are approved for implementation. 5. Stage 4 - testing and validation o Validation of the viability of the entire project including the product, production process, customer acceptance and economics. o More in-house testing to check the product's quality and performance under controlled conditions. o User or field trials of the product to measure the potential customer's reaction to the product and its functionality. o Trial or pilot production to test, debug or troubleshoot production and operations processes. Additionally, a simulated test market is used to gauge customer's reaction and estimate market shares and revenues. Revised business and financial analysis with updated, more accurate data. o Gate 5: final point at which the project can be cancelled. This gate decides whether the product goes for full commercialisation or not. Review of the quality of testing and validation activities and their results. Strong focus on financial returns and marketing plans o

6. Stage 5 - launch o Implementation of marketing launch plan and operations plan. This includes a plan of action and assessment of unforeseen events, predictions and estimations. o Launching the product for full commercial wholesale. 7. Final stage - post-launch review o After 6 - 18 months of commercialisation, the new project is terminated and the team is no longer needed as the product becomes regular in the firm's product line. o Product's performance is reviewed including data on costs, revenues, products and timing, and are all compared to the results in gate 3. o Post-audit (Critical assessment of the project's strength and weaknesses and analysis of possible improvements.

Benefits of using the Stage Gate Development model    

Accelerates speed to market and increases the likelihood of the product's success Introduces discipline and organisation to an often chaotic process Reduces re-work and waste, improves focus via gates and reviews Achieves efficient and effective use of scarce resources and ensures a complete success

Industrial design Role of the industrial designer Industrial design is the application of art and science to the development of products, by focusing on elements such as aesthetics, ergonomics*, functionality and usability. Although it is often similar to engineering design, it defers from the aforementioned in the way that industrial design is more concerned with the aesthetics and the user-interface of the product than the functionality, and this is more useful for making the product marketable and attractive for the customers. It is therefore the role of the industrial designer to create, plan and style manufactured goods or products, ranging from cars to musical instruments, electronic devices, furniture and so on. They usually make use of various graphical design tools, which can range from very simple hand sketches to more sophisticated 3-dimensional CAD models and drafts. They usually take into account the way products are bought by consumers and how they react to these products, to take advantage of the like and dislikes of the audience to optimise the marketability of new products. They usually follow these 5 goals of industrial design:

 Utility: safe, easy to use by a range of users and user-friendly interface that allows for an easy interaction between the user and the product.  Appearance: shape, form, size, colour and external features that make the product more attractive.  Ease of maintenance: clear instructions of how the product should be maintained and repaired so as to enlarge its durability.  Low cost: the correct selection of materials, features and manufacturing processes allows for a reduction of cost in production and this makes the product more affordable.  Communication: the product should communicate the corporate design philosophy and mission through visual qualities of the product. This means that the company's essence should be

imprinted in each design and should be easily recognisable as a product of that company (e.g. Apple's logo on every product)

*Ergonomics: this term refers to the ease of use and maintenance, as well as user interactions, and analysing how important these features are for the customer and how they influence the marketability of the product. Training, education and skills.

Industrial designers are trained in a variety of visual arts, including 2D and 3D expression, drawings, paintings and sculptures, and liberal arts (history, psychology, sociology, literature). In addition to this, industrial designers learn some applied sciences such as physics, materials and processes, and human factors. Some of their most important skills are communication (in all forms), problem-solving, presentation techniques and research on user's experience and reaction to aparticular product. Among their practical skills are: drawing, painting, sculpting, model building, crafting, CAD and solid modelling. They often look at many different attributes in a product, including appearance, texture, colour, touch, sound and everything else that contributes to the user's experience. It is their ability to approach the design of a product from an artistic point of view, by applying different concepts from science and technology. Industrial designers may specialise in a variety of areas and fields, which are often classified according to the type of products they want to work with. For instance, an industrial designer may want to work for Apple or Samsung, so they would need to specialise in electronic devices including mobile phones, tablet PC's, computers, notebooks, and accessories. For this they will need to acquire more detailed knowledge on electronics and operating systems.

How industrial designers contribute value to the design process Industrial designers are good at looking for solutions from many different angles and expanding the boundaries of the problem by asking questions like "why?" And "what if?", which helps arrive at the best and most novel solution. They are very useful for the "Phase Zero" of a product development process, which is basically that stage where the company just wants to come up with something new and innovative, but doesn't quite know what it will be. Industrial designers perform user-oriented research and examine trends in current markets to obtain new ideas which may not always be technically feasible, but can be very attractive once the technology becomes available. Researching user needs ensures that the development team is solving the right problem for the right users. They was industrial designers approach this is by getting to understand the user's point of view, and how, why, where and when the product is used and under what circumstances. For instance, in the design of a new medical device, the designer must understand how the doctor or nurse would interact with the product, how it will fit into an overall procedure, how it will be carried from one place to another, etc. The whole aim of researching user needs is to learn as much from the user as possible, in order to identify the "most likely" users as opposed to "typical" users. Some types of user research include the following:  Qualitative market research: using focus groups with targeted users to discuss their opinions about a product, as well as using online surveys, user feedback, etc. The aim is to learn about

how the users react to a particular product. This differs from traditional market research in that it focuses more on how functions are performed, how environmental factors affect the product and how the user responds emotionally to the product, including their frequency of use, behaviour, dependability, etc.  Ethnographic research: observing how people use products in their natural habitats and how each ethnic group responds to the product, based on the differences in culture, religion, ideologies, and more. The industrial designers then convert these observations into "unspoken needs" that can be used to develop a new product concept. Once needs and market trends have been properly analysed, it is time to brainstorm ideas to aid the conceptualisation of new designs. Diagrams, sketches and crude models are used in brainstorming sessions to communicate a wide range of ideas. Rapid visualization is a process that helps accelerate this brainstorming and decision making process, by providing fast and clear representations of the individual concepts. Some rapid visualization tools include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, ALIAS Studio Software, CAD software and even 2D hand sketches. In the development stage of the product, industrial designers work closely with engineers and marketing team members to refine the concept and prepare it for physical development. Some of the most involved in this process are mechanical designers and mechanical engineers, and there is an alternation between the designers and engineers in reviewing the internal and external features of the product in order to maximise functionality and attractiveness. Design for manufacturing (DSM) is used to consider the issues with manufacturing processes during the product development, with the aim of reducing production cost without compromising quality. Similarly, design for assembly (DFA) is used to reduce the cost of assembly by minimising the number of parts and maximising the ease of handling and inserting parts. Rapid prototyping is very useful for visualising the physical design and consists on using a variety of techniques to produce quick physical representations of the product, such as stereolithography (SLA), 3D printing, selective laser sintering (SLS) and direct shell production casting (DSPC). In summary, it can be said that industrial designers are crucial in bridging the communication between users and companies and researching what the user wants and needs from a more personal point of view. They are good at brainstorming and generating creative designs that are presented through a variety of rapid visualization tools, which help other employees in the company or firm to understand what needs to be done and what would be the benefit of doing it. They contribute to the ergonomics of each product and ensure the product's success by linking its requirements to the user needs, and improving the overall outlook of the product by focusing on aesthetics, elegance, functionality, user interactions, ease of use and maintenance. Industrial designers are essential in increasing the product's success

DFX What is DFX? DFX is a systematic approach for making decisions in product development related to products, processes and plants, where the X(s) may be in conflict. A DFX 'method' is the procedure by which the product developer selects and weighs different DFX criteria. Some of these Criteria include: 

Design for Approach: The concept of DFX draws together all the tasks that are necessary in order to form a product with respect to the diverse goals and restrictions which apply to that product.

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Design for Criteria: All production-oriented characteristics that are conceivable in the frame of a product development are designed as DFX 'criteria', where the 'X' is changed as appropriate for each criterion. Some of the main examples include Design for Assembly and Manufacture. Design for Method: A DFX 'method' is the procedure by which the product developer selects and weighs the different DFX criteria for the respective product. It can be seen as a way of navigating through a large number of DFX criteria. Design for Strategy: A DFX 'strategy' is a collection of DFX criteria which results from using the DFX method. Design for Tools: DFX 'tools' support the product developer in the realisation of a DFX strategy. They enable the synthesis and analysis of one or more DFX criteria.

Hierarchy of Control, Safety Engineering & ALARP/ SFAIRP and Hazards HOC is a technique by whch risks to health and safety are made " As Low As Reasonably Practible" (also known as the ALARP principle). The term "Heirarch of control" often refers to the OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) management practice and describes the preferred order of risk controls taken in a system. The whole aim of HOC is to identify all the hazards present in an environment or system and eliminate or minimise exposure to those hazards. There are two levels of HOC: Level 1: this consists on completely eliminating hazard and hence removing the associated risk. This should be the first priority in any scenario. Level 2: this one is implemented when complete elimination of the hazard cannot be practically achieved. It consists of minimisation options which substantially reduce the risk. They are listed in order of priority:

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2nd priority - substitution: the risk is replaced with one that is less dangerous and less likely to cause injury. This may involve changing a process or a device.

 3rd priority - isolation/engineering: changing the work environment in such a way that the workers are isolated from the risk (e.g. protective infrastructure such as protective glass panels).  4th priority - administration: this may involve upgrading training for the workers, changing rosters, increasing supervision, providing workers with more detailed manuals and handbooks, adding more safety procedures or warnings, being more strict with certification and licenses for operating special machinery, etc. Administration is often one of the most common procedures in environments where the risk cannot be eliminated. For example, consider a courier truck service in which the company needs to reduce the risk of a road accident near a bridge for the drivers. Some administrative measures that could be taken are: adding more warning signs near the bridge, fitting black boxes inside the truck to record driver's behaviour prior to the accident, ignition lockouts that measure the driver's alcohol level and prevent the vehicle from starting if the driver exceeds a limit, scheduling courier timetables to avoid night travel and driver fatigue, providing more training and limiting age, competency, etc.  Last priority - personal protective equipment: when the risk cannot be reduced by any other means, the last resort is to provide protective equipment, such as helmets, gloves, goggles, vests, clothing, ear plugs, thermal protection, insulation, etc. The aforementioned hierarchy is summarised in the following table:

Safe design Safe design is a process that consists on identifying hazards and assessing risks early in the design process with the aim of eliminating or minimising the risks of injury, throughout the product's life cycle. It includes all types of design such as facilities, hardware, tools, systems, equipment, products, materials, energy controls, layout, configuration, and more.

A safe design will usually rely on the correct choice of materials and manufacturing processes to enhance the product's safety. It usually competes against other design objectives such as aesthetics, practicality, cost and operation, and it is essential that safety is always taken into account, even if it means compromising one of the other objectives. The design function is influenced by a range of parties including:  ...