- Email: [email protected]
Design assurance — a tool for excellence
Engineering
Management
International,
5
(I 988)
25
25-30
Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands
DESIGN ASSURANCE-A
TOOL FOR EXCELLENCE*
John A. Burgess Westinghouse
Electric
Corporation,
Power
Equipment
Division,
Muncie,
IN 47302
(U.S.A.)
ABSTRACT Design Assurance is the disciplined engineeringprocess of assuring the right job is done right. To many, it will simply be considered as “good engineering practices”. Even though acknowledged as such, it is surprising and disappointing to find how few companies actually follow this approach. This paper describes the major elements of design assurance, including requirements definition, drawing/specification control, design verification, control of changes and supporting documentation. Further the paper dis-
cusses the responsibilities of engineering management for planning, implementing and maintaining an effective design assurance program. It is clearly up to engineering management and engineering educators to set the stage for achieving excellence in the products and services of engineering. To survive the challenges of the world marketplace, it will take excellence and nothing less. Design Assurance provides several of the tools needed to meet this challenge successfully.
INTRODUCTION
to correct than the problems caused in the factory. In recent years, various groups in government and industry developed guidelines and recommendations to improve the quality of front end information and the quality of product design. As this effort evolved from drawing control into other aspects of “good engineering practices”, the methodology became known as Design Control or Design Assurance. Examples of these efforts are reflected in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, the U.S. Military Standard MIL-Q-9858A, and in the several NASA, AEC, IEEE and ANSI regulations and standards. Each originating group sought to improve the, quality and reliability of the finished product by specifying a disciplined approach for design and development activitities.
For years, control of product quality was considered a factory job. It was mainly the task of inspecting the parts and separating the bad ones from the good ones. However, industrial managers finally recognized this process was both incomplete and ineffective. They realized that efforts were needed to prevent from making incorrect or out-of-spec parts, and they also saw that quality problems are not limited to just the factory operations. In fact, problems stemming from incomplete or incorrect engineering information were frequently more serious and costly *Paper presented at the First International Conference on Engineering Management, September 22-24, 1986, Washington, DC.
0167-5419/88/$03.50
0 1988 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
26
These systems were a response in recognition that problems which stem from engineering shortcoming can be very subtle and may not be discovered until the product is in production or in service. Then corrections to the problems can be costly, time-consuming and embarrassing. Now let’s examine what is meant by Design Assurance. It is defined as: “. . .those planned and systematic actions taken to provide confidence that the product design will satisfy the requirements of its intended use”. A typical design assurance program covers all phases of engineering associated with the company’s products, including the definition of requirements, drawing and specification control, verification of design adequacy, control of changes and supporting documentation. This approach focuses on preventing errors or defects from occurring in the engineering activities. It represents a set of tools for engineering managers to apply in their pursuit of excellence. The tools can be tailored to local needs, but most engineering departments will need to address all of the basic elements of Design Assurance to be effective. Table 1, taken from a text by the author, presents an insight into the evolution of the various elements from virtually no control to a fully integrated approach (Burgess, 1984). This information may provide you a way of evaluating where your company is along the path to excellence. Now let’s look further at the components of Design Assurance.
MAJOR
ELEMENTS
In this section each of the important elements will be examined from the standpoint of its contribution towards assuring design quality. Also a series of questions which suggest opportunities to enhance the quality of engineering activities are included. Design
requirements
All serious design work starts with the requirements. However, it is surprising how often
the requirements are incomplete and inadequate for the task at hand. Are your requirements compiled in writing and made visible to all those who need to know? Are the requirements subject to management/technical expert review and concurrence or approval? Is there a process for introducing changes to the requirements in an orderly manner? Is the evolving design rigorously examined to determine its capability and degree of conformance for satisfying the specified requirements? Time and energies spent in developing a clear and complete set of requirements in the beginning has a high rate of return later in avoiding problems and satisfying customers.
Drawing
and specification
control
Proper control of drawings and specifications is fundamental to any engineering deExperience shows that the partment. preparation, review/approval, and distribution of drawings is generally well controlled. However, this is not always the case with specifications. For unknown reasons, specifications are frequently allowed to become outdated and do not reflect current practices. Do your drawings and specifications have a unique identifier (alphanumerics) and is the current revision status readily visible? Are the accceptance criteria defined in measurable terms and tolerances? Are you getting the benefit of independent review by one or two knowledgeable persons in addition to the person(s) that prepared the document? Do your assembly drawings and specifications accurately represent your preferred practices? Do changes to your drawings and specifications receive a level of review and approval consistent with the original release of these documents? Many other groups use the engineers’ drawings and specifications and assume they are valid and correct. It is up to engineering management to ensure that is really the case.
Components sized byhandbookand seat-of-the-pants engineering. There aren’t any, everything goes.
Don’t need any. Keep it in our heads.
Engineering calculations:
Control of nonconformances:
Engineering
Adapted from Design Assurance for Engineers
The engineering department does its own thing - and nobody notices.
Verbal instructions from engineer.
Control of changes:
Management evaluation:
The designer makes sketches and notes for the site.
Drawing control:
records:
The designer figures out what’s needed.
Design requirements:
No program
Evolution of design assurance
TABLE 1
program
A planned program of internal audits by engineering and other departments conducted regularly. On-going program of refinement and improvement of management processes.
Engineering management reviews/approves written changes. Standard methods based on analysis and test data developed and tailored for specific application. The engineer is on the job site to decide if a non-conformance is acceptable. Records procedures and centralized files used to control and retain records. Management hires or designates a knowledgeable person to review the engineering activities every few years.
Engineer issues written change notice. Engineering calculations for selected items reviewed by supervisor or lead engineer. The engineer is consulted if it looks bad, but we need it. A department clerk collects and files the drawings and records. When a problem occurs, management wants to know what went wrong.
Engineering records are controlled as integral part of company records management program.
A few technical specialists review and sign selected drawings.
Engineers’ supervisor reviews selected drawings.
Technical specialists review/disposition nonconformances.
Latest state-of-the-art interactive CAD/CAE systems in place with necessary support specialists.
Technical specialists review written changes to evaluate impact and approve as appropriate.
On-going series of design reviews with multidisciplined signoff.
Engineer and salesman work together on bid/ contract reviews.
Occasional meetings between Engineering and Sales to discuss new developments/marketplace happenings.
Sales and Engineering use interactive review process; timely feedback.
Fully integrated
and Managers, by J.A. Burgess, 1984, pp. 12-13, by courtesy of Marcel Dekker, Inc.
When a problem occurs, management wants to know who goofed.
The engineer keeps a folder of notes and things somewhere.
The foreman decides if it’s good enough.
Engineer performs written calculations based on personal methods.
Drawings/specs marked up by engineer.
Drafting prepares drawings per designer’s instructions.
The salesman sends spec sheets.
*
28
Design
verification
There are three methods commonly used to verify the adequacy of a product design. These are: design analysis (calculations), design review and testing. Although these can be used individually, it is quite common to use them in conjunction with each other. Comments on each of these techniques are presented below. Design analysis Calculations are used routinely to size components, predict performance, determine limits, etc. However, in many companies, the calculation methods, assumptions, and results are virtually invisible to everyone except the person that performed the calculation. Also calculation records tend to be surprisingly unstructured, abbreviated and frequently inaccessible for later reference. Table 2 presents a list of items that should typically be included with engineering calculations to give them maximum usefullness. One caution about all engineering calculations - problems seldom come from mathematical inaccuracies. The real culprits are the use of improper methods, invalid assumptions or incorrect modelling techniques. For this reason, it is a good practice to require a technical review of calculations by a knowledgeable second person as an independent check on the validity of the analysis for decision-making purposes. Engineering software also presents many new TABLE
2
challenges. Often, the construction and content of the programs have low visibility, coupled with limited user documentation. This is especially true when using software which was developed outside the company. Yet there is a strong tendency for engineers to give the software developers the benefit of the doubt and to use the software somewhat blindly. Again, it is quite easy to misapply computer software, use it beyond its proven limits, or make assumptions about it that are different from those used by the software developers. The key point for management is to insist that your engineers study the software documentation carefully and apply it with caution. Otherwise, you may have a disaster in the making. Design reviews Much has been written about design reviews, but still many companies choose not to use the process. Granted, a poorly planned and hastily implemented design review can be a waste of time. However, with a little bit of thought and care, both formal (structured) and informal (low-key, with limited structure) design reviews can help companies avoid errors and omissions. A recent paper by the author describes guidelines and recommendations for getting the most from design reviews (Burgess, 1985). Table 3 lists several questions that should be answered during a design review. If TABLE
Important l
l
Recommended
contents
of calculation
records l
Purpose and scope of the calculation Methods used Key assumptions or limiting conditions Summary of results (with units of measure defined) Conclusions (as applicable) Name of person performing the calculation and date Evidence of verification (as applicable) Calculation or identification number (for file/retrieval purposes)
3
l
l
l
l
design review questions
Does the design satisfy the product requirements? Do the designer’s assumptions appear to be reasonable? Are there areas in the design where the risks seem to be higher than usual? Have any items of consequence been omitted from the design? Do the methods used for design seem appropriate for this application? What problems or concerns must still be resolved? Is there reasonable assurance these open items can be resolved in an appropriate manner and in the time remaining?
29
you are not using design reviews as part of your design verification process, you may be overlooking a powerful tool for defect prevention. Testing Testing has long been used for demonstrating the technical adequacy of a product design. The old adage of “One test is worth a thousand expert opinions” still makes a good point. But don’t overlook the fact that testing has limitations and can be expensive and time-consuming. Although testing continues to play a role in proving how well a product works, its most important contribution is for verifying the adequacy and validity of your design and analysis methods. Can you accurately predict the performance of your product over its wide range of loads and environments? Do you investigate anomalies when the test results are different than expected? Do you follow through and take necessary design corrective action when the product fails prematurely or does not perform as predicted? Do you base your decisions on a single test or single data point? What about the impact of variability on your conclusions? Even with the rapid expansion of computerized design and analysis, testing will continue to play an important role in linking theory to practice. Control
of changes
and nonconformances
In engineering it seems the only thing constant is change. But to be successful, engineering departments must manage change and not vice-versa. It requires a planned and orderly process for defining the change, evaluating its impact, and implementing the details. If anything can go wrong in engineering, it will in the change process. The greatest enemy of controlling change is the pressure of time. Many sins are committed in the name of expediency. True, changes often must be acted on quickly, but that does not mean haphazardly. Are your changes clearly documented? Has the impact of the change been defined and evaluated by technically knowl-
really edgeable personnel ? Is the change necessary? These same guidelines apply equally well to your control of nonconformances. Keep in mind that nonconformances are simply unplanned changes. Consequently, their impact must be identified and evaluated and a decision made in a logical and orderly fashion to use, revise or replace. Supporting
documentation
In addition to the normal engineering records (drawings, specs, calculations, test data, change notices, etc.), many engineering departments are also responsible for operation and maintenance manuals, replacement parts lists and technical product literature. These documents are the customer’s primary link to your product. Therefore, this material needs to be developed and presented with the same care as the basic product itself. The supporting documentation should be based on a clear and complete set of requirements, presented in an understandable way, be technically correct and consistent with the actual product, and provisions made to ensure changes are controlled in a manner to maintain this accuracy and consistency. Supporting documentation is often the “Lost Legion” of the engineering department. Is it in your company?
MANAGEMENT
RESPONSIBILITIES
The emphasis for assuring the quality of design basically must come from engineering management. To be successful, the engineering manager must establish the tone and thrust in his policies and practices. And your deeds must match your words. It is easy to demand quality when everything is proceeding on schedule, in budget and meeting performance requirements. However, do you maintain your posture and composure for design quality when the al-
30
ligators are snapping all around you? These times are the real tests of your commitment to excellence. Periodically, the engineering manager should step back and constructively examine the engineering processes. Do the people in the department know and understand the preferred ways to performing their tasks? Do they use these methods? Does the process consistently give the expected results? Are these methods cost-effective? A second approach is to select and review several recent engineering changes. Why were they made? Were t.hey necessary to correct engineering errors or omissions? If so, what can be done to prevent a recurrence of these problems? Another useful technique is to perform a management audit of your design assurance efforts every two or three years. This often flushes out items needing attention or new situations that now should be addressed. In those cases where you are not satisfied with what you find, those areas are obvious targets or opport.unities for improvement. However, don’t try to fix everything in one fell swoop. That is usually confusing, disruptive and often ineffective. Think big, but start small. Initially, pick one or two areas where the need or payoff is the greatest. Take time to gather some facts and analyze what’s really happening. Get others in the department involved in both the analysis and development of a solution. Don’t be afraid to try some new approaches. Also, recognize you use iterative solutions on technical
problems, and you may have to try several iterations to solve your management problems. Each of these approaches also conveys the message t.o the department personnel that you are serious in your pursuit of excellence. And don’t underestimate the importance of periodically reinforcing your commitment to quality. Through such examinations and the day-to-day actions, the engineering manager can feed and nurture an effective design assurance program. A LOOK TO THE FUTURE All predictions indicate the continuing rapid advancement of new technologies, increased impact of computers and growth of world competition. Each of these present major challenges to all engineering departments and their managers. More and more firms now recognize the importance of product value (quality at an attractive price) in their market plan to gain a competitive edge. As such, excellence in engineering will be a major building block in implementing this strategy. Design assurance provides many of the tools needed to achieve this excellence. It’s a process well worth pursuing.
REFERENCES Burgess, J.A., 1984. Design Assurance for Engineers Managers. Marcel Dekker, New York, NY.
and
Burgess, J.A., 1985. Design reviews for all seasons. In: 1985 Quality Congress Transactions. American Society for Quality Control, Milwaukee, WI.
Management
International,
5
(I 988)
25
25-30
Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands
DESIGN ASSURANCE-A
TOOL FOR EXCELLENCE*
John A. Burgess Westinghouse
Electric
Corporation,
Power
Equipment
Division,
Muncie,
IN 47302
(U.S.A.)
ABSTRACT Design Assurance is the disciplined engineeringprocess of assuring the right job is done right. To many, it will simply be considered as “good engineering practices”. Even though acknowledged as such, it is surprising and disappointing to find how few companies actually follow this approach. This paper describes the major elements of design assurance, including requirements definition, drawing/specification control, design verification, control of changes and supporting documentation. Further the paper dis-
cusses the responsibilities of engineering management for planning, implementing and maintaining an effective design assurance program. It is clearly up to engineering management and engineering educators to set the stage for achieving excellence in the products and services of engineering. To survive the challenges of the world marketplace, it will take excellence and nothing less. Design Assurance provides several of the tools needed to meet this challenge successfully.
INTRODUCTION
to correct than the problems caused in the factory. In recent years, various groups in government and industry developed guidelines and recommendations to improve the quality of front end information and the quality of product design. As this effort evolved from drawing control into other aspects of “good engineering practices”, the methodology became known as Design Control or Design Assurance. Examples of these efforts are reflected in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, the U.S. Military Standard MIL-Q-9858A, and in the several NASA, AEC, IEEE and ANSI regulations and standards. Each originating group sought to improve the, quality and reliability of the finished product by specifying a disciplined approach for design and development activitities.
For years, control of product quality was considered a factory job. It was mainly the task of inspecting the parts and separating the bad ones from the good ones. However, industrial managers finally recognized this process was both incomplete and ineffective. They realized that efforts were needed to prevent from making incorrect or out-of-spec parts, and they also saw that quality problems are not limited to just the factory operations. In fact, problems stemming from incomplete or incorrect engineering information were frequently more serious and costly *Paper presented at the First International Conference on Engineering Management, September 22-24, 1986, Washington, DC.
0167-5419/88/$03.50
0 1988 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
26
These systems were a response in recognition that problems which stem from engineering shortcoming can be very subtle and may not be discovered until the product is in production or in service. Then corrections to the problems can be costly, time-consuming and embarrassing. Now let’s examine what is meant by Design Assurance. It is defined as: “. . .those planned and systematic actions taken to provide confidence that the product design will satisfy the requirements of its intended use”. A typical design assurance program covers all phases of engineering associated with the company’s products, including the definition of requirements, drawing and specification control, verification of design adequacy, control of changes and supporting documentation. This approach focuses on preventing errors or defects from occurring in the engineering activities. It represents a set of tools for engineering managers to apply in their pursuit of excellence. The tools can be tailored to local needs, but most engineering departments will need to address all of the basic elements of Design Assurance to be effective. Table 1, taken from a text by the author, presents an insight into the evolution of the various elements from virtually no control to a fully integrated approach (Burgess, 1984). This information may provide you a way of evaluating where your company is along the path to excellence. Now let’s look further at the components of Design Assurance.
MAJOR
ELEMENTS
In this section each of the important elements will be examined from the standpoint of its contribution towards assuring design quality. Also a series of questions which suggest opportunities to enhance the quality of engineering activities are included. Design
requirements
All serious design work starts with the requirements. However, it is surprising how often
the requirements are incomplete and inadequate for the task at hand. Are your requirements compiled in writing and made visible to all those who need to know? Are the requirements subject to management/technical expert review and concurrence or approval? Is there a process for introducing changes to the requirements in an orderly manner? Is the evolving design rigorously examined to determine its capability and degree of conformance for satisfying the specified requirements? Time and energies spent in developing a clear and complete set of requirements in the beginning has a high rate of return later in avoiding problems and satisfying customers.
Drawing
and specification
control
Proper control of drawings and specifications is fundamental to any engineering deExperience shows that the partment. preparation, review/approval, and distribution of drawings is generally well controlled. However, this is not always the case with specifications. For unknown reasons, specifications are frequently allowed to become outdated and do not reflect current practices. Do your drawings and specifications have a unique identifier (alphanumerics) and is the current revision status readily visible? Are the accceptance criteria defined in measurable terms and tolerances? Are you getting the benefit of independent review by one or two knowledgeable persons in addition to the person(s) that prepared the document? Do your assembly drawings and specifications accurately represent your preferred practices? Do changes to your drawings and specifications receive a level of review and approval consistent with the original release of these documents? Many other groups use the engineers’ drawings and specifications and assume they are valid and correct. It is up to engineering management to ensure that is really the case.
Components sized byhandbookand seat-of-the-pants engineering. There aren’t any, everything goes.
Don’t need any. Keep it in our heads.
Engineering calculations:
Control of nonconformances:
Engineering
Adapted from Design Assurance for Engineers
The engineering department does its own thing - and nobody notices.
Verbal instructions from engineer.
Control of changes:
Management evaluation:
The designer makes sketches and notes for the site.
Drawing control:
records:
The designer figures out what’s needed.
Design requirements:
No program
Evolution of design assurance
TABLE 1
program
A planned program of internal audits by engineering and other departments conducted regularly. On-going program of refinement and improvement of management processes.
Engineering management reviews/approves written changes. Standard methods based on analysis and test data developed and tailored for specific application. The engineer is on the job site to decide if a non-conformance is acceptable. Records procedures and centralized files used to control and retain records. Management hires or designates a knowledgeable person to review the engineering activities every few years.
Engineer issues written change notice. Engineering calculations for selected items reviewed by supervisor or lead engineer. The engineer is consulted if it looks bad, but we need it. A department clerk collects and files the drawings and records. When a problem occurs, management wants to know what went wrong.
Engineering records are controlled as integral part of company records management program.
A few technical specialists review and sign selected drawings.
Engineers’ supervisor reviews selected drawings.
Technical specialists review/disposition nonconformances.
Latest state-of-the-art interactive CAD/CAE systems in place with necessary support specialists.
Technical specialists review written changes to evaluate impact and approve as appropriate.
On-going series of design reviews with multidisciplined signoff.
Engineer and salesman work together on bid/ contract reviews.
Occasional meetings between Engineering and Sales to discuss new developments/marketplace happenings.
Sales and Engineering use interactive review process; timely feedback.
Fully integrated
and Managers, by J.A. Burgess, 1984, pp. 12-13, by courtesy of Marcel Dekker, Inc.
When a problem occurs, management wants to know who goofed.
The engineer keeps a folder of notes and things somewhere.
The foreman decides if it’s good enough.
Engineer performs written calculations based on personal methods.
Drawings/specs marked up by engineer.
Drafting prepares drawings per designer’s instructions.
The salesman sends spec sheets.
*
28
Design
verification
There are three methods commonly used to verify the adequacy of a product design. These are: design analysis (calculations), design review and testing. Although these can be used individually, it is quite common to use them in conjunction with each other. Comments on each of these techniques are presented below. Design analysis Calculations are used routinely to size components, predict performance, determine limits, etc. However, in many companies, the calculation methods, assumptions, and results are virtually invisible to everyone except the person that performed the calculation. Also calculation records tend to be surprisingly unstructured, abbreviated and frequently inaccessible for later reference. Table 2 presents a list of items that should typically be included with engineering calculations to give them maximum usefullness. One caution about all engineering calculations - problems seldom come from mathematical inaccuracies. The real culprits are the use of improper methods, invalid assumptions or incorrect modelling techniques. For this reason, it is a good practice to require a technical review of calculations by a knowledgeable second person as an independent check on the validity of the analysis for decision-making purposes. Engineering software also presents many new TABLE
2
challenges. Often, the construction and content of the programs have low visibility, coupled with limited user documentation. This is especially true when using software which was developed outside the company. Yet there is a strong tendency for engineers to give the software developers the benefit of the doubt and to use the software somewhat blindly. Again, it is quite easy to misapply computer software, use it beyond its proven limits, or make assumptions about it that are different from those used by the software developers. The key point for management is to insist that your engineers study the software documentation carefully and apply it with caution. Otherwise, you may have a disaster in the making. Design reviews Much has been written about design reviews, but still many companies choose not to use the process. Granted, a poorly planned and hastily implemented design review can be a waste of time. However, with a little bit of thought and care, both formal (structured) and informal (low-key, with limited structure) design reviews can help companies avoid errors and omissions. A recent paper by the author describes guidelines and recommendations for getting the most from design reviews (Burgess, 1985). Table 3 lists several questions that should be answered during a design review. If TABLE
Important l
l
Recommended
contents
of calculation
records l
Purpose and scope of the calculation Methods used Key assumptions or limiting conditions Summary of results (with units of measure defined) Conclusions (as applicable) Name of person performing the calculation and date Evidence of verification (as applicable) Calculation or identification number (for file/retrieval purposes)
3
l
l
l
l
design review questions
Does the design satisfy the product requirements? Do the designer’s assumptions appear to be reasonable? Are there areas in the design where the risks seem to be higher than usual? Have any items of consequence been omitted from the design? Do the methods used for design seem appropriate for this application? What problems or concerns must still be resolved? Is there reasonable assurance these open items can be resolved in an appropriate manner and in the time remaining?
29
you are not using design reviews as part of your design verification process, you may be overlooking a powerful tool for defect prevention. Testing Testing has long been used for demonstrating the technical adequacy of a product design. The old adage of “One test is worth a thousand expert opinions” still makes a good point. But don’t overlook the fact that testing has limitations and can be expensive and time-consuming. Although testing continues to play a role in proving how well a product works, its most important contribution is for verifying the adequacy and validity of your design and analysis methods. Can you accurately predict the performance of your product over its wide range of loads and environments? Do you investigate anomalies when the test results are different than expected? Do you follow through and take necessary design corrective action when the product fails prematurely or does not perform as predicted? Do you base your decisions on a single test or single data point? What about the impact of variability on your conclusions? Even with the rapid expansion of computerized design and analysis, testing will continue to play an important role in linking theory to practice. Control
of changes
and nonconformances
In engineering it seems the only thing constant is change. But to be successful, engineering departments must manage change and not vice-versa. It requires a planned and orderly process for defining the change, evaluating its impact, and implementing the details. If anything can go wrong in engineering, it will in the change process. The greatest enemy of controlling change is the pressure of time. Many sins are committed in the name of expediency. True, changes often must be acted on quickly, but that does not mean haphazardly. Are your changes clearly documented? Has the impact of the change been defined and evaluated by technically knowl-
really edgeable personnel ? Is the change necessary? These same guidelines apply equally well to your control of nonconformances. Keep in mind that nonconformances are simply unplanned changes. Consequently, their impact must be identified and evaluated and a decision made in a logical and orderly fashion to use, revise or replace. Supporting
documentation
In addition to the normal engineering records (drawings, specs, calculations, test data, change notices, etc.), many engineering departments are also responsible for operation and maintenance manuals, replacement parts lists and technical product literature. These documents are the customer’s primary link to your product. Therefore, this material needs to be developed and presented with the same care as the basic product itself. The supporting documentation should be based on a clear and complete set of requirements, presented in an understandable way, be technically correct and consistent with the actual product, and provisions made to ensure changes are controlled in a manner to maintain this accuracy and consistency. Supporting documentation is often the “Lost Legion” of the engineering department. Is it in your company?
MANAGEMENT
RESPONSIBILITIES
The emphasis for assuring the quality of design basically must come from engineering management. To be successful, the engineering manager must establish the tone and thrust in his policies and practices. And your deeds must match your words. It is easy to demand quality when everything is proceeding on schedule, in budget and meeting performance requirements. However, do you maintain your posture and composure for design quality when the al-
30
ligators are snapping all around you? These times are the real tests of your commitment to excellence. Periodically, the engineering manager should step back and constructively examine the engineering processes. Do the people in the department know and understand the preferred ways to performing their tasks? Do they use these methods? Does the process consistently give the expected results? Are these methods cost-effective? A second approach is to select and review several recent engineering changes. Why were they made? Were t.hey necessary to correct engineering errors or omissions? If so, what can be done to prevent a recurrence of these problems? Another useful technique is to perform a management audit of your design assurance efforts every two or three years. This often flushes out items needing attention or new situations that now should be addressed. In those cases where you are not satisfied with what you find, those areas are obvious targets or opport.unities for improvement. However, don’t try to fix everything in one fell swoop. That is usually confusing, disruptive and often ineffective. Think big, but start small. Initially, pick one or two areas where the need or payoff is the greatest. Take time to gather some facts and analyze what’s really happening. Get others in the department involved in both the analysis and development of a solution. Don’t be afraid to try some new approaches. Also, recognize you use iterative solutions on technical
problems, and you may have to try several iterations to solve your management problems. Each of these approaches also conveys the message t.o the department personnel that you are serious in your pursuit of excellence. And don’t underestimate the importance of periodically reinforcing your commitment to quality. Through such examinations and the day-to-day actions, the engineering manager can feed and nurture an effective design assurance program. A LOOK TO THE FUTURE All predictions indicate the continuing rapid advancement of new technologies, increased impact of computers and growth of world competition. Each of these present major challenges to all engineering departments and their managers. More and more firms now recognize the importance of product value (quality at an attractive price) in their market plan to gain a competitive edge. As such, excellence in engineering will be a major building block in implementing this strategy. Design assurance provides many of the tools needed to achieve this excellence. It’s a process well worth pursuing.
REFERENCES Burgess, J.A., 1984. Design Assurance for Engineers Managers. Marcel Dekker, New York, NY.
and
Burgess, J.A., 1985. Design reviews for all seasons. In: 1985 Quality Congress Transactions. American Society for Quality Control, Milwaukee, WI.