The importance of design specifications in the design process is widely recognized. A number of requirements are used to describe the desired solution in the specification document. A detailed description of the desired solution is crucial, as it increases the chances of a successful design. In order to have a clear description, there must be enough statements of requirements to lead the designers from the abstract to the concrete solution in order to achieve the purpose of the product. Table 2.1. Documentation format of a product design specification (all relevant aspects identified in Fig. 2.1 should be considered) It`s important to think about what you want to achieve with your future product or how your future product will help you achieve your goals. Let`s say you don`t know what goals to achieve. In this case, it will be difficult for you to write the right design specification and develop a useful and valuable product.
We`ve already discussed the definition of the design specification, the sections included in a standard design specification, and why you should use the design specification. Now it`s time to move on to the writing process. The mechanical efficiency of the gearbox has not been specified. However, a mechanical efficiency of at least 95% should be achievable and is proposed for specification. Check your design specification document several times to make sure there are no open questions or poorly described parts. Remember that the success of your future product largely depends on this document, so you need to take it seriously. A good example of how the PDS-SELECTION combination works is the case study shown in Figure 1.14. In this case, it could be assumed that the designers were more concerned with identifying a new material for an established process than with identifying an entirely new process. Their goal is to produce an «ecological» molding from an environmentally friendly and sustainably sourced material. If this were really the case, the main criteria would be related to the material itself. What you would have first, the fact that the material must be «green» or that it «works».
If it`s green but doesn`t work as molding, well, it`s not very useful. If it works, but doesn`t meet environmental goals, then it failed. Therefore, I would suggest that the main filtering criteria include both environmental and functional aspects. Simply hitting one or the other alone would not achieve the desired result. However, the meeting with both produces something very innovative. In order to make it easier for you to create a requirement specification in the future, we have prepared a sample design specification for you. We recently completed the Referrizer project. Referrizer is a marketing automation platform that helps attract new customers, increase repeat purchases, and achieve long-term sustainable results. Product research is an important aspect of writing design specifications. You should conduct extensive market research on the industry in which your product operates.
Medical devices, technological devices, and products for children and babies are just a few of the regulated industries. We will review what design specifications are and how to use them, as well as provide some examples of design specifications. You`ll learn what to include in your design specification document, how to write design specifications, and lots of other useful information. To properly write a user needs document, you need to know who you will design and develop the product for. Do you know the definition of user needs? User requirements are natural language statements with diagrams that describe the services the system should offer to users of the system and the constraints within which it must operate. As a product owner, you need to have a clear understanding of what the product should look like, how users should interact with it, etc. You are the only person who can clearly and thoroughly describe the desired features of your future product. By creating a design specification document in the early stages of product development, you can save time and money, create the perfect product that meets your expectations, simplify the process for designers, and more.
Each type of specification has inherent advantages and disadvantages. Design specifications ensure high accuracy and predictability. The owner has a very specific expectation of the finished product they will receive, and the contractor can determine with reasonable certainty the labour, materials and equipment required for the work. Conversely, since a contractor must comply with design specifications, which it cannot modify if it discovers more effective or efficient building materials during the course of the project, it cannot perform such cost-saving work unless all parties agree in writing. To accommodate these changes, an often slow and lengthy change order process must be completed. With the help of business analysis, it will be much easier for you to write detailed and useful design specifications. After analyzing all the points we give below, you will get a broader picture of your business and what exactly your future product should be. The PDS is the formal specification of the product to be designed. Based on the analysis we described in the first part of our guide, you need to describe how your product works and how it works. This is a more technical part, but for design specifications, it is also necessary. Determine which features need to be developed first and which can be postponed.
Think about the features you need to test and so on. Drawing on extensive experience in product design and development, the Northell team has created a step-by-step guide to help you write useful, clear, and detailed design specifications. You can also contact us for a design specification template. Let`s go! At the far left of the process, a document is created: the statement of need or the design briefing. This document describes the needs and provides some guidance on the requirements. It is not comprehensive enough to complete the design process, but detailed enough to make a decision on whether to proceed or not. To complete the clarification phase, the highly detailed product specification or product design specification (PDS) must be created. To do this, you need to dive into the discipline, interview end users, and discuss needs and requirements with your customers and subcontractors – everything is important.
As the diagram shows, it is likely that the PDS will go through several phases and create several PDS drafts before a final version is agreed. This will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 5. Here is a list of the most common problems with writing design specifications: The final part of the Lucas method is to calculate the manufacturing cost of each component. These manufacturing costs can influence the choice of material and the process used to manufacture the part. Although not a true calculation of the cost of the part, this method helps designers by providing a relative measure of manufacturing costs. The values of the following coefficients are derived from detailed tables prepared for this purpose. The Parts Manufacturing Cost Index is advice – A PDS should not be confused with other product-related specifications, i.e. the type of polymer to be used or the standards that the final product must meet. Typically, the Design Requirements (Specifications) document contains the following: Chapter 3 presented a number of aspects of the product design specification that affect the manufacture and testing of a component. These included standardization and interchangeability, dimensional tolerances, limits and adjustments, and geometric tolerances. Pedagogical references to technical drawings were also briefly mentioned. The purpose of this chapter is to ensure that these specifications are met; The use of various measuring instruments has already been discussed.
However, this type of inspection can be costly due to the time and skill required, especially for the production of high-volume or mass/throughput components. Note: The PDS is not the design, but the specification of the product and must be completed before the design work begins. We can say that the description of the characteristics of the system is part of the technical design specification and the design of the computer system. This specification in software development helps to understand how the future product will work and how it will work. Make some lists of the most important, smallest, and least important features for your product. Analyze competing products to create such lists. You can read product feature reviews, usability ratings, etc. on the G2 crowd.