CHAPTER 5 : PLANNING

5.1 Introduction
Once the top management of an organisation recognized a need to develop a product, it will go for product design, only if,
- the purposed product will guarantee a handsome profit
- the market conditions are favorable in respect of competition.
- the necessary resources are available
- the purposed design is worthwhile.
5.2 Feasibility Study.
The starting point of a design project is a need. Once the need has been identified, the company has to ensure the worth of the project. Feasibility study is a preliminary analysis for making a decision regarding the design project, to be forwarded or not. If the feasibility study reveals that the proposed design project does not bring comfortable revenue, or the design demands huge investments beyond the capacity of the organisation, the project is dropped.
5.3 .Product Planning [S 01]
Planning is the process used to develop a scheme for scheduling and committing the resources of time, money and people. A plan shows how a project will be initiated, organized, co-coordinated and monitored. A product plan is a decision-making as regards to the design and manufacture of a product, by considering the revenues from different products. For example assume that a company already manufacturing 3 products, say P1, P2 and P3 identifies a need to design a new product ‘N’. Owing to the design and manufacture of the new product, the production volume, and hence revenue from products P1, P2,and P3 may be affected (due to re-allocation of company resources such as raw materials, machineries). In this situation, the company has to decide a time-schedule for the design and manufacture of the new product. Such plan made by the management is called the product plan. It must contain the time-as well as resource allocation for each of the products. More over it will result in optimum and efficient use of resources. After the product plan in made, the management begins a project for a new product design.
5.4. Organisation Of Design Group
The complexity of mechanical devices has grown rapidly over the last 200 years. For example Boeing 747 aircraft (which has over 50,000 components) required over 10 thousand persons’ years of design time. Thousands of designers worked over a three-year period on the project. These show that, design work is generally done by a team or group. A design team may include thousands of design and manufacturing engineers, material scientists, technicians, purchasing agents, drafters, and quality control specialists, all working over many years.
The first phase in any design process is identification of needs. Needs may be identified by market survey, the desire to improve an existing product or even by the development of a technology.
Since any design activity consumes company resources like money, people and equipments etc. –the planning of these resources is the next phase after need- identification. Planning means allocation of resources such as money, people etc. The first step in planning is to form a design team.
5.5. Members of Design Team
Following is a list of individuals needed in a design team. Their titles may vary from company to company.
1. Design Engineer.
This person is responsible for suggesting ideas for the proposed product. For that, he must clearly understand needs for the product as well as its engineering requirements. Hence, he must posses both creative and analytical skills. He must be an engineering graduate having vast experience in the particular product area.
2. Marketing Manager.
He is responsible for success of the product in the market. He is a link between the product and the customer. He always sees “whether the customer like this product?
3. Manufacturing Engineer.
He knows the best manufacturing process suitable for the production of the particular product. He can give advice on the various manufacturing processes available in the industry.
4. Detailer
In many companies the design engineer is responsible for specification development, planning, conceptual design and the early stages of product design. The project is then turned over to detailers who finishes the details, develops manufacturing and assembly documents.
5. Drafter
A drafter aids the design engineer and detailer by making drawing of the product. In many companies the detailer and the drafter are the same individual.
6. Technician.
The technicians aid the design engineer in developing test-apparatus, performing experiments etc.
7. Materials Specialist.
In some products, the choice of the material is based on availability. In some other cases, a certain material is to be chosen according to some features of the product. Material specialist can give advice on properties of different materials.
8. Quality Control Specialist.
A quality control specialist observes how well the product meets specifications. This inspection is done on finished products as well as raw materials purchased from vendors.
9. Industrial Engineer.
Industrial designers are responsible for how a product looks and how well it interacts with customers. They generally have background in fine arts and in human factor analysis.
10. Assembly Manager.
The assembly manager is responsible for putting the product together. Note that assembly process is an important aspect of product design.
11. Suppliers’ Representative.
As part of product development, the company may purchase components or sub-assemblies from out-sources. In that case, the representative of the supplier of the specified component must be included in the design team.

5.6 Organisational Structure of Design Teams
Since a design project requires individuals with different fields of expertise, they can be organised into different structures. Listed below are the five organisational structures. The number in the bracket shows the percentage of design projects that use that particular organisation structure.
1. Project matrix, (28%)
It is an organisation structure having the features of project and matrix organisations.
2. Functional matrix (26%)
It is another organisational structure obtained by combining functional as well as matrix organisations.
3. Balanced Matrix (16%)
Here the project manager and functional manager work together. A project manager is assigned to oversee the project, and the responsibility and authority for completing the project rests with functional managers.
4. Project Team (16%)
A project manager is put in charge of a project team composed of a core group of personnels from several functional areas or groups assigned on a full time basis.
5. Functional Organisation (13%)
Each project is assigned to a relevant functional area or group within a functional area. A functional area focuses on a single discipline.
5.7. Task Clarification [S 01]
A project plan is a document that defines the tasks necessary to be completed during a design process. A project plan is used to keep the project under control. It helps the design team and management to know how the project is actually progressing.
There are five steps to establish a plan. They are,
1. Identify the task
2. State the objective of each task
3. Estimate Personnel’s, time, resources required.
4. Develop a sequence for these tasks.
5. Estimate product development cost.

Step 1 Identify the tasks
In the first step of the planning of the design project, the different tasks needed to bring the problem from its initial state to the final products are identified. The tasks are the activities to be performed during the design process. Given below is a list of tasks drafted by a design team, for the development of a certain product.
a. Collect and evaluate customer requirements and competition scenario.
b. Establish two concepts for product development.
c. Develop final prototype.
d. Test prototype No1 and select one design for finalisation.
e. Redesign and produce proto type No2.
f. Field test prototype No2.
g. Complete production documentation.
h. Develop marketing plan.
i. Develop quality control procedures.
j. Prepare patent applications.
k. Establish product appearance.
l. Develop packaging.
Step .2. State the objective for each task.
Even though the tasks are initially identified, they need to be refined to ensure that the results of the activities are the stated objectives. For example, for the task No. (a) above, the objective is to collect information required for developing specification.
Step 3: Estimate the Personnel, Time & other Resources Required.
Completion of each of the tasks listed above will consume resources such as personnel, time etc. An estimate of the requirement of resources may look like:
Task Personnel/time
Collecting data Two market surveyors, two months
Concept generation Two designers, two week.
Step 4 Develop a Sequence for the tasks
The next step is scheduling of tasks-the purpose is to ensure that each task is completed, before its result is needed. CPM is the best method to accomplish this.
Step 5 Estimate Product Development Cost
On the basis of the above steps, the costs for developing the product can be estimated. Normally design cost is only about 5% of manufacturing cost.
The above plan developed in the early stage of the design has to be refined as the project progresses.
QUESTIONS
1. How can you explain the term design? Explain the process of mechanical design. Discuss the role of creativity in the design process (S’94, 8M)
2. The design of product is …..........customer expectations. (S’99, S’94)
3. .…………get first preference in design
Ans. Functional requirements (S’93)
4. Explain the meaning of
(i) Conceptual design
(ii) Functional design
(iii) Production design. Give suitable examples for each. (S’03)
Questions
1. What are the characteristics features of system design, assembly/sub-assembly design and component design? Explain briefly with the help of examples. [S'93, 5M]
2. Distinguish between functional design and industrial design. [W'93]
3. Discuss the meanings of conceptual design, creative design, adoptive design and variant design. [S'97]
4. What are the three main types of design? Give a comparative analysis. [W'00, W '97]
1. Explain the difference between creative design, adoptive design and variant design. [S'02 W'98]
2. Designing for function involves the use and knowledge of ……………..
Ans. Eng. Sciences [W '94]
8. Explain the meaning of
(i) Conceptual design, (ii) Functional design and (iii) production design. Give suitable example of each.[S0'3]
10. Explain layout design. [S0'2]
QUESTIONS
1. How can you explain the term design? Explain the process of mechanical design. Discuss the role of creativity in the designs process. (S94. 8M)
2. The mechanical design process normally has six stages and amongst them the three stage are ----- ------ -------(S99, S94, 1 M)
3. What is morphology of design? Explain the various steps with the help of block diagram (W.95)
4. The three stages of design are…………(W 96)
5. State the different phases that are involved in morphology of design (S.96)
6. Briefly discuss the concept of creativity as applicable for solving design problems (W 98. 6M)
7. What makes the design process tortuous?Explain (W99,6M)
8. The creative design process can be considered to be(S93)
9. Discuss creativity and creative design. Use examples to explain. (W 95)
10. What do you understand by intuition (S 01)
11. Draw a flow-chart showing different stages of engineering design. Explain why some stages are repeated several times.(S.93.5M)
12. What feedback loops provide information for the redesign of products and the productive systems. (W’93)
13. The process of design by evolution adopted by craftsman is a …………..
Ans. Slow process of design development(W’94)
14. With suitable examples, compare ‘Design by evolution’ and ‘Design by innovation’. (S 96)
15. Enumerate the steps in Engg. Design process and explain (W’96)
16. Justify the statement with reasons ‘Modern design problems cannot be handled by traditional methods’. (S’97, W’98)
17. Good design requires both------ --------.
Ans. Analysis and Synthesis. (S’93)
18. Define creative design routes. What are the stages of these routes, Explain these in brief. (S’00)
19. Explain the process involved in creativity. What are the various qualities of creative designer? Give the brief description of these. (S’00).
20. What do you mean by creative design routes. Write down the different statements about creativity and creative designers. (S’01)
21. Compare the design synthesis and design analysis. Explain the basics procedure of design synthesis giving suitable examples. (S ’02).
22. What are the common features and differences between creative design activities and Engg? Design activities. Explain briefly with the help of examples. (W’94)
23. Discuss the divergence, transformation, and convergence phases in the design of a new product. (S’97)
24. What are the three different stages in the design process? Explain with example. (W’99)
25. What are the most important steps involved in the design process? Explain? (W’00)
26. What are the methods currently being adopted for design process using advanced technology? (W’00)
27. Name various phases in design morphology. Explain these in brief. (S’01)
28. Explain Engg. Design (S’01)
29. What major steps are involved in design process? Briefly explain each one (W’01).
30. What do you understand by the design process? List out the various phases involved and explain them briefly. (S’02)
31. Give the checklist for an engg. Design problem. (W’98)
32. ___ is one of the most powerful aids to creativity in design.(Use of analogy) (W ’94).
33. What do you understand by the term “creativity”? What are its requirements? (’03).
34. Discuss the stages in engineering design process with the help of example. (S 05)
35. Explain ‘Design processes. Illustrate the steps followed with the help of a figure. Also explain the flow of work during the design process. (W 05, 8M)
What do you understand by ‘morphology of design’? Discuss the phases of feasibility study, preliminary design and detailed design.
Questions
1. List hierarchy of human needs that motivate individuals. [W’96]
2. Give one need statement for each of the following
Bicycle (ii) Voltage stabilizer (iii) Personnel Computer [S’93]
3. Explain the steps involved in identification of a problem by a designer [S’96]
4. Every product is made in response to……….of individual or society.
Ans. needs [S’97]
5. Enumerate and explain variety of needs which can generate ideas for the
Development of new product.
Questions
1. Market research is necessary before starting the production of any product.
(True) [S '97]
2. Write a short note on – Product planning and task classification. [S '01]