8 1 Why Study the Des|gn Process?

has continued into the twenty-rst century. More on how the design process has
played a major role in this reduction is in Chap. 4.
Finally, Ior many years it was believed that there was a trade-oII between
high-quality products and low costs or timenamely, that it costs more and
takes more time to develop and produce high-quality products. However, recent
experience has shown that increasing quality and lowering costs and time can go
hand in hand. Some oI the examples we have discussed and ones throughout the
rest oI the book reinIorce this point.
1.S THE HSTORY OF THE DESGN PROCESS
During design activities, ideas are developed into hardware that is usable as a
product. Whether this piece oI hardware is a bookshelI or a space station, it is the
result oI a process that combines people and their knowledge, tools, and skills
to develop a new creation. This task requires their time and costs money, and iI
the people are good at what they do and the environment they work in is well
structured, they can do it efciently. Further, if they are skilled, the nal product
will be well liked by those who use it and workwith itthe customers will see it as
a quality product. The aesign process, then, is the organi:ation ana management
of people ana the information thev aevelop in the evolution of a proauct.
In simpler times, one person could design and manuIacture an entire product.
Even Ior a large project such as the design oI a ship or a bridge, one person had
sufcient knowledge of the physics, materials, and manufacturing processes to
manage all aspects oI the design and construction oI the project.
By the middle oI the twentieth century, products and manuIacturing processes
had become so complex that one person no longer had sufcient knowledge or
time to Iocus on all the aspects oI the evolving product. DiIIerent groups oI
people became responsible Ior marketing, design, manuIacturing, and overall
management. This evolution led to what is commonly known as the 'over-the-
wall design process (Fig. 1.6).
In the structure shown in Fig. 1.6, the engineering design process is walled
oII Irom the other product development Iunctions. Basically, people in market-
ing communicate a perceived market need to engineering either as a simple,
written request or, in many instances, orally. This is eIIectively a one-way com-
munication and is thus represented as inIormation that is 'thrown over the wall.
Customers Marketing Engineering
design
Production
Figure 1.6 The over-the-wall design method.