1. Chapter 7 Concept Selection
MSE-415: Product Design Lecture #7
Chapter 7 Concept Selection

2. Lecture Objectives: Turn in and discuss Homework #4
Discuss structured methods for selecting a single concept design from several available designs.

3. Concept Selection
Concept selection is part of the overall concept development phase.
Mission
Statement
Development
Plan
Identify
Customer
Needs
Establish
Target
Specifications
Generate
Product
Concepts
Select
Product
Concept(s)
Test
Product
Concept(s)
Set Final
Specifications
Plan
Downstream
Development
Perform Economic Analysis
Benchmark Competitive Products
Build and Test Models and Prototypes

4. Concept Selection Non-structured methods for choosing a concept:
External Decision
Product Champion
Intuition
Multi-voting
Pros and Cons
Prototype and Test
Decision Matrices

5. Concept Selection External Decision
Concepts are turned over to the customer, client, or some other
external entity for selection.

6. Concept Selection Product Champion
An influential member of the product development team chooses a concept based upon personal preference.

7. Concept Selection Intuition
The concept is chosen by its feel. Explicit criteria or trade-offs are not used. The concept just ‘seems’ better.

8. Concept Selection Multi-voting
Each member of the team votes for several concepts. The concept with the most votes is selected.

9. Concept Selection Pros and Cons
The team lists the strengths and weaknesses of each concept and makes a choice based upon group opinion.

10. Concept Selection Prototype and Test
The organization builds and tests prototypes of each concept making a selection based upon test data.

11. Concept Selection Decision Matrices
The team rates each concept against pre-specified selection criteria, which may be weighted.

12. Concept Selection Structure Method – Offers Several Benefits
Customer Focused Product
Concepts explicitly evaluated against customer criteria.
Competitive Design
Benchmarking pushes the design to match or exceed competitor’s performance along key dimensions.
Better product-process coordination
Evaluation with respect to manufacturing helps match the product with the capabilities of the firm.
Reduced time to product introduction
Structured method becomes common language within firm. Increased communication, decreased ambiguity, fewer false starts.
Effective group decision making
Decision making based upon objective criteria and minimizes arbitrary or personal factors that influence product concept.
Documentation of the decision process
A structured method results in a readily understood archive of the rationale behind concept decisions.

13. Concept Development Funnel

14. Concept Selection Overview of Concept Screening Methodology
Prepare a selection matrix
Rate the concepts
Rank the concepts
Combine and improve the concepts
Select one or more concepts
Reflect on the results and the process

15. Concept Selection
Prepare a selection matrix for syringe.

16. Concept Selection
Rate the Concepts

17. Concept Selection
Rank the Concepts

18. Concept Selection
Combine and Improve Concepts

19. Concept Selection
Select one or more concepts

20. Concept Selection Overview of Concept Scoring Methodology
Prepare a selection matrix
Rate the concepts
Rank the concepts
Combine and improve the concepts
Select one or more concepts
Reflect on the results and the process

21. Concept Selection Prepare a selection matrix
Bolded 3’s indicate reference.

22. Next Week October 17, 2007 Homework due
Page 140 Exercises 2, 3, 4
Read Chapter 8 – Concept Testing
Discuss structured methods for evaluating concept designs.