TECHNIQUES FOR CONCEPT SELECTION
Type of Comparison
Technique
Basis of Comparison
Numerous Concepts
Feasibility
Judgment
Gut Feeling
Technology
Absolute
Readiness Assessment
State of Art
Go/no-go
Screening
Customer Requirements
Relative
Decision Matrix
Method
BEST CONCEPT
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EVALUATION BASED ON FEASIBILITY* JUDGMENT
What we think about it?
Understanding + Experience
* Feasibility: The quality of being doable
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EVALUATION BASED ON TECHNOLOGY READINESS ASSESSMENT
Objective - is to determine the readiness of the technologies that may be used in
the design concept. Immature technology will lead to a poor-quality product or
cancellation of a project due to cost overruns.
Time-Line for Technology Readiness
Technology
Development Time
Powered human flight
403
(1500 – 1903)
Photographic cameras
112
(1727 – 1839)
Radio
35
(1867 – 1902)
Television
12
(1922 – 1934)
Radar
15
(1925 – 1940)
Xerography
17
(1938 – 1955)
Atomic bomb
6
(1939 – 1945)
Transistor
5
(1948 – 1953)
Digital camera
30
1965 - 2004
High temperature super conductor ?
1987 - ?
Electric car
1900 - ?
…..
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EVALUATION BASED ON TECHNOLOGY READINESS ASSESSMENT
Six measures to determine if a technology is mature:
1. Can the technology be manufactured with known processes?
2. Are the critical parameters that control the function identified ?
3. Are the safe operating parameters known ?
4. Have the failure modes been identified ?
5. Does hardware exist that demonstrates positive answers to the
above four questions ?
6. Is the technology controllable throughout the product's life cycle ?
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EVALUATION BASED ON TECHNOLOGY READINESS ASSESSMENT
Displacement on Demand has been in works for the last 25 years…..
finally:
GM announces that the 2005 model year GMC Envoy XL, Envoy XUV and Chevrolet trailblazer EXT
will be the first vehicles to showcase its innovative Displacement on Demand fuel-saving technology,
which enhances fuel economy without compromising performance or the ability to carry heavy loads.
Displacement on Demand is to be a standard feature in the vehicles' optional Vortec 5300 V-8 engine.
The technology, which boosts the Vortec engine's fuel efficiency by 8 percent, is also to be introduced
in other GM engines in the 2006 model year.
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EVALUATION BASED ON TECHNOLOGY READINESS ASSESSMENT
2000
2010
Hybrid car
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EVALUATION BASED ON TECHNOLOGY READINESS ASSESSMENT
http://www.veva.bc.ca/enfield/enfield1.jpg
http://www.dieselstation.com/pics/2011-Holden-Volt-car-pics.jpg
2004
2010
Electric car
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EVALUATION BASED ON TECHNOLOGY READINESS ASSESSMENT
Film camera
Digital camera
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EVALUATION BASED ON TECHNOLOGY READINESS ASSESSMENT
Incandescent
Luminescent
LED
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EVALUATION BASED ON GO/NO GO SCREENING
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Fender concepts
Concept 1
Concept 2
Concept 3
Concept 4
Poncho
Device attached to seat post
and back of seat
Spring loaded roll
Sissy bar
Concept 5
Concept 6
Concept 7
Device to brush-off water
Half fender
Standard fender with quick release
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Evaluation Based on Go/No Go Screening
For the sake of simplicity
we’ll consider only 5
requirements
Easy to attach
Not rattle
Long life
Lightweight
Not release accidentally
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Evaluation Based on Go/No Go Screening
Goal is to compare each concept with the customer requirements in an absolute
fashion.
Each customer requirement must be transformed into a question to be
addressed to each concept.
The questions should be answerable as either Yes or Maybe (Go),
or No (No-Go).
If a concept has only a few No-Go responses, then it may be worth modifying
the design rather than eliminating it.
-1
0
1
-
no
maybe
yes
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Evaluation Based on Go/No Go Screening
The winner
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
The method provides a means of scoring each concept relative to
another in its ability to meet the customer requirements.
This method tests the completeness and understanding of the
requirements, identifies the strongest concepts, and helps foster
new concepts.
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
Decision-Matrix Form
Concepts to be
compared
Concepts for Comparison
Customer
Requirements
1
The relative importance
of requirements found
using pair-wise
comparison technique
3
Scores
4
Totals
5
2
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
1. Requirements
For the sake of simplicity
we’ll consider only 5
requirements
Easy to attach
Not rattle
Long life
Lightweight
Not release accidentally
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
We find the relative importance of these requirements using pair wise
comparison technique:
Easy to attach
Not rattle
Long life
lightweight
Not release accidentally
Rating of relative importance:
Equal
1
More important
3
Strongly more important
5
Very strongly more important
7
Extremely more important
9
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix, Pair Wise Comparison Technique
" Which requirement is more important to the success of the product?
Note: follow the rule “row is more important than column”
Requirements
Relative importance of requirements
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
Generate scores (i.e. which customer requirements to use).
Datum - the designer's favorite concept
0 - same as datum
+ 1 - better than datum
- 1 - worse than datum
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
Relative importance
of requirements
The winner
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EVALUATION OF SNOW SHOVEL DESIGN CONCEPT
USING THE DECISION MATRIX METHOD
Concept A
Concept B
Concept C
Concept D
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
Concepts to be
compared
Concepts for Comparison
Customer
Requirements
1
The relative importance
of requirements found
using pair-wise
comparison technique
3
Scores
4
Totals
5
2
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
Requirements placed on a snow shovel:
Easy to handle
Removes snow fast
Durable
Concepts of a snow shovel design:
A, B, C, D
Which one to choose?
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
Datum
The winner
Pair-wise
comparison
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Evaluation Based on Decision Matrix
Datum
Concept A
Concept B
Winner
Concept C
Concept D
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SPECIFICATIONS, CONCEPT GENERATION AND SELECTION
SUMMARY
Feasibility judgment
Functional
Decomposition
QFD
Technology readiness
Go/no go screening
Morphological
Analysis
Decision matrix method
Concept 1
Concept 2
Concept 3
Final concept
…
Ideation
Brainstorming
Patents
Reference (Books, Trade Journals)
Experts’ help
Design review 2
Concept n
Design review 1
Need
Required
functionality
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WHAT IS PDF?
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