McGill.CA / Engineering Design / Step-by-step Design Process / Design Phases in Mechanical Engineering

Problem Definition

Problem definition is an essential initiating phase of any product development. In this phase you must

  1. understand existing problem, associating available data with it;
  2. generate strategies and methodology;
  3. critically evaluate state-of-the-art technologies available on the market.

 

Main steps of the problem definition

  • Understanding the problem

To formulate a problem, you must consider both real-time physical conditions (product shape, functionality, production and user environment, available resources, design, and production methods, etc.) and corresponding mathematical description.

  • Clarification of objectives

First, it is necessary to distinguish goals and objectives.

Goals are general guidelines that explain what the client (or engineer) wants to achieve undertaking a project.

Objectives define strategies and implementation steps to reach the identified goals. 

  • Establishing of user requirements

After identifying the needs as a wish list provided by the customer, you must translate them into a set of specifications that determine how the product will function, then it should be transformed into requirements. A requirement can be defined as a statement that specifies function and performance of an intended product.

  • Identification of constraints

Design constraints are conditions of a successful engineering project. They often (but not always) originate from the design requirements and help narrow down choices when developing a project.

  • Establishment of the functions

One more step before elaborating the final problem definition is to understand and establish the functions of the product to be designed or developed. Without proper definition of the functions of the designed system, the latter is subject to the risk of poor performance or failure.

  • Formulation of design requirements and design specifications

Project specification, that includes formulation of design requirements and design specifications, is the step where all collected information and data are processed. Project specifications summarizes all information about the product, its technical characteristics, development process, available resources, etc.

  • Project definition

The final step of problem definition is the project definition. In this phase the project gets final approval and real product development starts.

 

 

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