Quality during Design

Relationships matter! And they can be difficult to understand. We're taking relationships between variables. Does one variable affect another? Or do they just correlate? Understanding which matters to the values of our decisions. We talk about the saying "Correlation does not imply causation", how to find a confounding variable, and ways to check that we've got the triggering c...

Meetings to ADD productivity to our day? Yes! We need our time to be productive, individually. We also need input from our team. We can use meetings to add productivity to our day, if done right. We break it down: hours in a day, limits of humans, and the minimum requirements of a good meeting. Visit the podcast blog for extra information about Lean Coffee(tm).  Other Quality during Design podcast...

We have test results but realize that testing didn't go as planned. What can we do to help prevent this scenario? We talk about ways to partner with test engineers and test technicians and the importance of still maintaining their independence. The podcast blog and others are available on www.qualityduringdesign.com. Other Quality during Design podcast episodes you might like:  Design Input &...

I've mentioned in previous episodes that it's best to do FMEA early in the design concept phases of development. Well, if we do FMEA early, then what can with do with it? We explore how to study any risk analyses (system risks, FMEA, hazard analysis) to help design-out problems, set-up design inputs, and help us figure out test methods. We also talk a bit about why a team is a necessary...

We can develop a severity rating scale based on us: our company, our customer, our product... And we can relate the categories that we use to the quality dimensions that matter to us. We talk about the 7 principal quality dimensions of goods and services, the 5 principal dimensions of quality in customer service, and how we might customize our severity scale based on these dimensions. The podcast...

A force field analysis is a tool in the quality toolbox. Its typical use case is to help a team analyze a change by understanding the forces involved. We can also use it to help us solve a problem. We can use a force field analysis to understand nuances or to get a handle on a change that involves many different people or departments. We envision a force field analysis as a football field during a...

There is a lot of use information about a new product concept that we can develop, even if we don't have an engineering prototype. We want this information especially before we start prototyping! We talk about what type of information we can gather and a stepwise approach to get it with our cross-functional team. Do you want to explore a little more? How to Self-Advocate for More Customer Fac...

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is not a substitute for product test. It can be used as a supplement to design and test. There are lots of ways to use it during design: to evaluate differences in prototype options, as test inputs, and even to help with root cause analysis. We talk about FEA and when to work with Quality Engineers and Reliability Engineers for next steps. Visit the podcast blog for l...

What are 2 lessons about remote work, coming out of the pandemic? We talk about a couple of perspectives that can apply to design engineering: Feedback from our friends that were remote pre-pandemic Being intentional about gaining a frame of reference Have you done a lessons learned about your communications, coming out of the pandemic? What are you carrying forward into the next phase of your eng...

We don't just rely on the numbers - we always plot the data! We review how we use plots to look past the numbers, and to be aware of common gotchas. Visit the podcast blog to comment. Related, previous QDD episodes: How to Handle Competing Failure Modes - Quality During Design   Discrete Data vs. Continuous Data - Quality During Design   Send us a message Work with Dianna I help product devel...

Supplier control plans and design specs can go hand-in-hand in the quest for quality.  Control plans aren't just for quality professionals! Learn how partnering with suppliers for a simple control plan can benefit your design process. Visit the podcast blog for a list of benefits. Want to explore controls a little further? Try these other QDD episodes:  Prevention Controls vs. Detection Contr...

Our manufacturing friends are approaching us with a problem. They want to test the product during manufacturing. The way the product is currently designed doesn't let them do this, or not easily. Can we make a design change so they can test?   Imagine that they're coming to us with this question before we've completed the design. Can they really see the future? Perhaps, with strateg...

We're heading into pilot production, where some initial parts might be made. We've got to finish those design specs and engineering drawings! Manufacturing wants to start cutting steel for molds.  Suppliers want to work out the specs on their end.  QA is asking what they should inspect.  Before you pass it along, have you identified what features are critical? Does it align with managing...

We can get stuck when trying to discover a solution to a problem. We talk about a Nine Windows tool and TRIZ - more thought-provoking methods that we can use to get unstuck and move on to the next step. Visit the podcast blog for graphics and lots of helpful links. Send us a message Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, no...

We can get stuck when trying to discover a solution to a problem. Sometimes it helps to expand our thinking into other avenues. We can reframe our problem within its contradictions. What is it not? We review an Is/Is-Not Matrix: how it's built, its purpose, and how it can help us. Visit the podcast blog for the matrix.  Send us a message Work with Dianna I help product development teams build...

We're uncovering risks during our new product development, about our design. How do we manage risks? What options do we have? There are at least 5 options we can take to manage risks. We talk about each, and how quality and reliability methods and techniques may help us with the next steps to be able to make decisions with our team. Visit the podcast blog for links to episodes that explore co...

As a design engineer, you’re tasked with translating vague customer statements into something technical and measurable. And you also need to identify what requirements are important: filtering the “must meet” requirements against the “should have” requirements. And, finally, you need to do this with your cross-functional team.   What if you miss something important?  It’s difficult. There is a met...

If you have quality friends, you may have heard of Gemba. What is Gemba and can it help with product design?  Gemba is an ideology.  And, yes, it can help with product design! We explore how and talk about why you might want to adopt the term "Gemba" for Product Design Engineering. Visit the podcast blog for links and other QDD episodes that explore these ideas more. Send us a message Wo...

"A Chat with Cross Functional Experts" is a Quality during Design interview series. Our focus is speaking with people that are typically part of a cross-functional team for new product development. We discuss their viewpoints and perspectives regarding new products, the values they bring to new product development, and how they're involved and work with product design engineering te...

Reliability Engineering isn't just about assessments. It's about providing information to make decisions. How does reliability engineering affect design?  We answer all the questions from the classical Kipling Method: What kind of design inputs can we expect from a Reliability Engineering working relationship? Why is their point of view important? When should we get them involved in the...

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a tool we can use to help us investigate complaints from the field. The FMEA is the collective team knowledge about the risks of this product, so it’s a valuable source in our investigation about what’s going on in the field. We talk through how to go about using FMEA for complaint investigation and what we can do with the information. Visit the QDD Blog...

Many presentation books and guides seem to focus on presentations that we see at conferences, for sales pitches, or for executive meetings about business topics. They don't seem applicable to the technical design reviews that engineers host. But they do relate. We talk about just 3 ways that we can change how we can plan technical design reviews, using some of the principles of presentations....

"A Chat with Cross Functional Experts" is a Quality during Design interview series. Our focus is speaking with people that are typically part of a cross-functional team for new product development. We discuss their viewpoints and perspectives regarding new products, the values they bring to new product development, and how they're involved and work with product design engineering te...

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a super-tool for a team, especially when developing concepts and requirements. Done early, iteratively, and treated as a "living" analysis helps teams throughout development and beyond. Some people seem to either love it or hate it. I don't have a strong reaction like that, but I do think it can be a valuable option for teamwork and design...

When defining design inputs and specifications, what does a design engineer need to consider about the test and measure capability? What are the typical ways that we assess the variability that a test or measurement introduces into our result? Visit the website for additional links and a Venn diagram. https://www.qualityduringdesign.com/qdd/design-input--specs-vs-test--measure-capability Watch thi...