What are Quality Requirements for Design?

Hello all,

I cant believe I am asking this after spending over a decade in quality!

When a product is in design, we have several types of requirements like functional, structural, environmental, material, maintenance, operational, etc requirements. In this context, what would be quality requirements for designing this product?

Thanks,

Tony

Define "quality."

Quality27 said:

When a product is in design, we have several types of requirements like functional, structural, environmental, material, maintenance, operational, etc requirements. In this context, what would be quality requirements for designing this product?

Click to expand...

In my experience in automotive, consumer products and industrial products, the only one of these that we did not include in our design verification and validation planning was maintenance. In hindsight, that was probably an oversight on our part because we do provide a recommended PM schedule in our user manuals.

Quality27 said:

Hello all,

I cant believe I am asking this after spending over a decade in quality!

When a product is in design, we have several types of requirements like functional, structural, environmental, material, maintenance, operational, etc requirements. In this context, what would be quality requirements for designing this product?

Thanks,

Tony

Click to expand...

Customers that seek design services realize they still have needs that are unstated as requirements. Designers create specifications to translate the needs of customers and users into requirements.

Designers do not simply accept the customer's stated requirements as design input. They elicit what the customers and users need to achieve with the product or as a result of the service. This can be time consuming and difficult to sell.

So, take a look at the sales process. Design responsibility cannot be fulfilled by simply taking the order.

All this should be made clear by your design plan which specifies the criteria (and the means of obtaining the criteria) for validating the verified design of each service and product.

Being as design is a service it is best to start specifying your design service as part of the sales process. The service spec should define the steps or milestones and the role of the customer in achieving them. The result is an approved design spec or plan.

So, you’ll need to involve your colleagues from sales in designing your design services.

John

Jim Wynne said:

Define "quality."

Click to expand...

Quality is a measure of a <thing> to meet its requirements.

If anyone wants to take a stab at defining either the requirements or the metrology, be my guest!

Quality27 said:

Hello all,

I cant believe I am asking this after spending over a decade in quality!

When a product is in design, we have several types of requirements like functional, structural, environmental, material, maintenance, operational, etc requirements. In this context, what would be quality requirements for designing this product?

Thanks,

Tony

Click to expand...

What’s wrong - or not “Quality” - about your list. Obviously the design must meet specifications. Then it must be developed in a timely and cost effective manner. Any time a product fails a design verification or validation step the cost/schedule goes out the window. BTW why not add some other “abilities” like DFM, DFA, DFT, to your list.

Tidge said:

Quality is a measure of a <thing> to meet its requirements.

Click to expand...

I tend to agree; and in a business context (after all, this is a business-systems-related space) Quality is a measure of how happy the customer (=the one who pays) is with the product they pay for.

John Broomfield said:

All this should be made clear by your design plan which specifies the criteria ... for validating the verified design of each service and product.

Click to expand...

A big (and common) problem with design plans is that they leave those criteria unmentioned. Designers and developers then have the liberty of specifying requirements to their degree/style of choice, and typically don't bother about test methodology (including, in particular, statistical methods, and more particular sample sizes) - at least this is what I see in medical devices.

I think it's time we finally acknowledge that design requirements that don't address test and analysis methods with generous particularity are almost meaningless, and frequently harmful for the D&D process.

design requirements that don't address test and analysis methods with generous particularity are almost meaningless

Agreed.

Designers may also reserve the option to specify trials (within a narrowly specified scope of work) to determine the acceptance criteria during execution of the order/contract.

This is particularly valuable on construction projects where local materials do not comply with national or international standards. But this method of detailed design may also be used to resolve the difficulty of predetermining acceptance criteria in isolated cases.

For fixed price contracts obviously this is a risk that must be priced very carefully.