designer and design teams by dr. philip datseris, professor department of mechanical, industrial and...

DESIGNER AND DESIGNER AND DESIGN TEAMS DESIGN TEAMS

bybyDr. Philip Datseris, ProfessorDr. Philip Datseris, ProfessorDepartment of Mechanical, Department of Mechanical,

Industrial and Systems Industrial and Systems EngineeringEngineering

University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Rhode IslandKingston, RI, USAKingston, RI, USA

July 2013July 2013

1

Information Information ProcessingProcessing

General Knowledge - Information that most people know from basic schooling or life experience

Domain-Specific Knowledge - Comes from study and experience in the field. One takes about 10 years to gain sufficient specific knowledge to be considered expert

Procedural Knowledge - Knowledge of what to do next; gained through experience

The study of human problem solving abilities is the province of the field of

cognitive psychology

2

DETAILS ON SLIDE 2DETAILS ON SLIDE 2

Bolt – Yield??

F

2 A

GENERAL DESIGN PROCEDUREGENERAL DESIGN PROCEDURE

1. Decompose problem along technical lines-mechanical, electrical/electronic, software, hardware, etc. and hire people in each area

2. Decompose problem, if possible, into manageable chunks- Exoskeleton example – simulate motion of complete system, including human leg, but only for one degree-of-freedom (DOF) system-motion only

below the knee and nothing else!!!!

3

ADVANTAGES IN DECOMPOSING ADVANTAGES IN DECOMPOSING THE PROBLEMTHE PROBLEM

1. The team is happy because the task is manageable and they can see results

2. The manager can reach a decision to either end the project or hire additional people where expertise is lacking early on the project before much money and time are used up

3. On the exoskeleton project-if the team cannot finish the one DOF system in a reasonable time, major decisions will be made

4

A DESIGN PARADOX: The more you learn the A DESIGN PARADOX: The more you learn the less freedom you have to use what you less freedom you have to use what you

knowknow

Knowledge about the

design problem

5

LINE FALLOUT AT XEROX CORPORATIONLINE FALLOUT AT XEROX CORPORATION

6

In 1981, Xerox Corp. started using methods outlined here

DESIGN METHODOLOGYDESIGN METHODOLOGY

1. Iteration is a necessary part of the design process

2. There is no guarantee that long term memory will have a solution

3. Problems have often missing or incomplete information

4. Each designer will have a different understanding of the problem-reach consensus very early on a good solution - NOT the perfect solution

7

DETAIL-1SLIDE 7-DETAIL-1

BEGIN DESIGN COMPLETION

TEAM A

COMPLETION TEAM B

TIME

7 A


AUTOMOBILE EXAMPLE

Many early design changes require more engineering time but few changes in production lines

An early design change that costs $1,000 in engineering time

can cost $10,000 later in refinements

and over $1M!! in tooling, sales, and goodwill expenses

7 B

DESIGN REFERENCESDESIGN REFERENCES

• Design Handbooks

• Thomas Register – Gold mine of ideas- www.thomasregister.com

• US patents- http://uspto.gov/patft/index.html

• European and foreign patents- http://gb.espacenet.com/.

• Soviet theory of inventive machines – www.triz-journal.com

• MIT Nam Suh – www.axiomaticdesign.com

8

http://www.thomasregister.com/

http://gb.espacenet.com/

http://www.triz-journal.com/

http://www.axiomaticdesign.com/

Details-1Slide 8-Details-1

TRIZ-Theory of inventive machines

•Genrikh Altshuller reviewed 400,000 patents – he observed similar patterns in solving problems in totally different industries

•Principle of contradiction – find the major contradiction that makes the problem hard

•Example of a contradiction-The part gets stronger (good) but the weight increases (bad)

•Solve the hardest problem first –if this fails STOP

8 A



Triz established forty (40) Principles to solve a problem

Principle 1. Segmentation

A. Divide an object into independent parts

B. Make an object sectional

C. Increase degree of an object’s segmentation

Example:Suspension-use two shock absorbers in-line; the soft one takes the small bumps and when fully compressed, the stiffer one takes the big bumps

8 B




Principle 10. Prior action

A. Carry out the required action in advance

B. Arrange objects so that they can go into action without time loss waiting for action

Example:Suspension-this leads to the idea of an active suspension where the motion is sensed and some form of control system changes suspension stiffness and damping-has been invented by BOSE Corp.

8-C


BOSE ACTIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/automotive/bose_suspension/the_system.jsp

8 D

BOSEFACTORY






Principle 17. Moving to a new dimension

A.Remove problems in moving an object in a line by two-dimensional movement (along a plane)

B. – D – not important in suspension

Example:Suspension-This leads to the idea of using a linkage-mechanism- to get a more complex motion than what can be obtained with a simple swing arm

8 E

Details-6Slide 8-Details-6Axiomatic design by Nam Suh of MIT-

based on the relationship between four (4) design domains: customer, function,

physical, and process

A. Two Axioms

B. Thirty (30) Corollaries and Theorems that

support the axioms

8 F


Axiomatic design by Nam Suh of MIT

Axiom 1 – Independence Axiom – Maintain the independence of functional requirements

This means that, ideally, a change in a specific design parameter should have an effect only on a single function – impossible but one can try

Axiom 2 - Minimize the information content of the design

This means that the simplest design has the highest probability of success and is the best alternative – not always true-violates Principle 17 of TRIZ

8 G

Mental Processing: Mental Processing: Problem-Solving BehaviorProblem-Solving Behavior

Problem-solving style; INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT – a person sometimes switches

Focus on Facts vs. Possibilities; REALISTIC OR DREAMER - a person sometimes switches

Objective vs. Subjective approaches

Decisive vs. Flexible perspectives

There are four (4) personal problem-solving dimensions

9


Problem -Solving Style

Characterized by differences betweenintrovert and extrovert personalities

75% of Americans are extroverts48% of engineering students are extroverts

48% of CEOs are extroverts

10


Problem -Solving Style: Extrovert Extroverts need to allow others time to think (not necessary to fill every pause with words)

Extroverts need to practice listening to others’ ideas and suggestions. BRAINSTORMING.

Extroverts must be encouraged to recap to make sure they take into account other’s contributions

Extroverts must realize that silence by introverts does not always mean agreement

11


Problem -Solving Style: Introvert Introverts must be encouraged to share more than their final response-explain how they think

Enable introverts to have equal say in the selection of ideas and plans – this means that introverts’ ideas must have equal weight

Encourage introverts to always signal their dissent-introverts must speak out if the disagree

Encourage introverts to restate their ideas. This also forces extroverts to listen

Introverts to push extroverts for more clarity/meaning

12


Facts vs. PossibilitiesFacts people are literal, practical,

realisticPossibilities people like concepts,

theories, look for relationships

Most cause of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and team

problems

75% of Americans are fact-oriented34% of engineering students are fact-

oriented66% of CEOs are fact-oriented

13


Facts vs. Possibilities: FactsEncourage fact-oriented team

members to give way to their imagination. BRAINSTORMING- wild ideas can lead to good ideas

Encourage fact-oriented team members to set goals rather than dive right into the problem

14


Facts vs. Possibilities: Possibilities

Encourage possibility-oriented team members to deal with details

Force possibility-oriented team members to be specific and avoid generalities

Remind possibility-oriented team members to stick to the issues

15


Objectivity vs. Subjectivity

Objective people are logical, detached, analytical

Subjective people make decisions based upon interpersonal involvement and

circumstances

Greatest number of design decision require some level of subjective evaluations

51% of Americans are objective68% of engineering students are objective

95% of CEOs are objective

16


Objectivity vs. Subjectivity: Objectivity Encourage objective decision makers not to discard other team members’ “gut feelings”

Help objective decision makers understand that how the team functions is as important as what is accomplished

Remind objective decision makers that not everyone likes to discuss a topic just for the sake of argument

Encourage objective decision makers to sometime express how they feel about an outcome

17


Objectivity vs. Subjectivity: Subjectivity Help subjective decision maker realize that it

is acceptable to disagree and argue

Reassure subjective decision makers that while harmony is important, not every resolved issue will satisfy everyone even if a consensus is reached

Reinforce to subjective decision makers that discussions about ideas are not personal attacks

18

Mental Processing: Mental Processing: Problem-Solving BehaviorProblem-Solving BehaviorDecisiveness vs. Flexibility

Decisive people are ordered, scheduled, controlled, and

deliberateFlexible people are adaptive,

spontaneous, and have a tendency to procrastinate

50% of Americans are decisive64% of engineering students are

decisive88% of CEOs are decisive

19


Decisiveness vs. Flexibility: Decisiveness Ask decisive people questions about their

decision process

Let decisive people organize data collection and review process

Use techniques such as brainstorming to suppress judgement. Do not settle on the first good idea

Remind decisive people that they are not always right

20


Decisiveness vs. Flexibility: Flexibility Give flexible decision makers plans in advance

Acknowledge the flexible decision maker’s contribution as a step toward moving to closure

Set clear decision deadline in advance

Get feedback from flexible decision makers to enable them to think about the direction of their thoughts

Encourage flexible decision makers to settle on something and live with it

21

Characteristics of a Characteristics of a Creative DesignerCreative Designer

It must solve the problem

It must be original

A creative solution must meet two (2) criteria

22

Characteristics of a Creative Characteristics of a Creative DesignerDesignerIntelligen

ceThere appears to be little

correlation between creativity and intelligence

1. Some engineers may be brilliant at complex analysis but

are not capable of coming up with a new concept no matter

how hard they try!!

2. There is a significant amount of research to understand

creativity but it’s still not well understood

23

Characteristics of a Creative Characteristics of a Creative DesignerDesigner

Creative engineers have good ability to visualize, to generate and manipulate visual images in their heads

They use sketches as an external extension of their short-term memory

There is little difference in individuals in the ability of visualize very simple images

However, the ability to manipulate complex images of mechanical devices can be improved in practice

Visualization Ability

24

Characteristics of a Creative Characteristics of a Creative DesignerDesigner

Designers start with what they know and modify it to solve the specific of the problem posed to them

At every step, the process involves small movements away from the known, even though the latter are anchored in past experiences

The designer must also be able to evaluate the viability of ideas

Ideas that are original but un-workable are therefore NOT creative

Knowledge

25


Creative designers have the ability to decompose and manipulate stored knowledge

This attribute strengthens with exercise

Partial Solution Manipulation

26

Characteristics of a Creative Characteristics of a Creative DesignerDesignerRisk

TakingFear of making a mistake is characteristic of non-creative

individuals

1.THOMAS EDISON tried hundreds of different lightbulb designs before he

discovered the carbon filament

2.Even GOD failed in his first attempt when he designed and created the man; he succeeded in his second design and

created a much better product-the woman!!

27


Creative people tend to be non-conformists

Constructive nonconformists take a stand because they think they are right-GOOD

Obstructive nonconformists take a stand just to have an opposite view-BAD

Conformity

28


Technique

Creative designers have more than one approach to problem

solving

29


Environment

Work environments that encourage risk taking,

nonconformity, new ideas, thus promote creativity

30


Practice

Creativity can improve with practice

31

Engineering Design Engineering Design TeamsTeams

The Boeing 747 has 5 million components and required 10 thousand person years of design, thus cannot be

solved by a single designer

32

Engineering Design Engineering Design TeamsTeamsDefinition

A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, common performance

goals, and a common approach for which they hold themselves

mutually accountable

33

Engineering Design Engineering Design Teams: Teams: Team GoalsTeam Goals

Team members must learn to collaborate

Teams are generally empowered to make decisions and must compromise to reach them

Developing decisions by consensus rather than by authority lead to more robust decisions

34

Engineering Design Engineering Design Teams: Teams: Team GoalsTeam Goals

Team members must learn to establish communication-proper communication!!

Team members must have a shared vision, which requires a rich understanding of the problem

It is important that team members and management be committed to the good of the team

35


Proper Communication

Critique a member’s work but be NICE!!! His work is his

“baby.” You never tell parents that their baby is UGLY!!

35 A


Shared Vision1.All team members must be immersed in

the project

2.Team members must dream about the project every night!!

35 B


Good of the Team

Healthy social processes within team members are as

important for success, as technical and cognitive

processes

35 C

DETAIL-4SLIDE 35-DETAIL-4TOUGH DECISIONS-DELLTOUGH DECISIONS-DELL

DELL COMPUTERS – Reference- “Direct from Dell”, by Michael Dell:

Dell Corporation almost went bankrupt when sales reached $1B.-Solution implemented by outside consultants – fire all friends and relatives that built Dell and hire top executives from General Electric Corporation

35 D

DETAIL-5SLIDE 35-DETAIL-5DEADLINE leads to TWITTERDEADLINE leads to TWITTER

Twitter was “born” from Odeo, Inc., a software company, South Park, San

Francisco, California

Odeo Inc. was facing tremendous competition from Apple and the board was not feeling optimistic-a deadline was given.

“Rebooting” or reinventing the company started with a daylong brainstorming session where they broke up into teams to talk about their best ideas

35 E

Engineering Design Teams: Engineering Design Teams: Team Team RolesRoles

Organizer: Team member who is mature, confident, trusting. Must be good at clarifying goals, promoting decision making, but not necessarily creative or clever

Creator: Imaginative. Sometimes more prone to work on possibilities than facts

Gatherer or resource-investigator: Good at exploring opportunities and developing contacts

Motivator or shaper: Dynamic, outgoing, assertive. Makes things happen by finding ways around obstacles. Impatient with vagueness. Logical and objective

36

Engineering Design Engineering Design Teams: Teams: Team RolesTeam Roles

Evaluator: Good at seeing the big picture and judging outcomes accurately. Not necessarily an inspirational leader, but is intelligent and shrewd

Team worker: Consensus builder. Tries to avoid frictions. Subjective decision maker

Solver: Turns ideas into practical action and is disciplined, reliable, and efficient

Completer-finisher or pusher: Conscientious, detailed-oriented and delivers results on time

37

Engineering Design Engineering Design Teams: Teams: BuildingBuilding Team Team

PerformancePerformance1. Keep team Productive: Urgency and Direction

All members must understand the purpose

Members must feel excited

Goals must be clear, simple, measurable

Goals must be realistic

Team approach must be clear

38

Detail-1Slide 38-Detail-1

Keep Team Productive: Urgency and Direction

Members must feel excited

There are many ways to do this with

Awards – including cash awards

Recognition,

Promotion, etc.

But an important way that’s used in the US is $$$

Extra pay for extra work - OVERTIME

38 A

Detail-2Slide 38-Detail-2Keep Team Productive: Urgency and

DirectionMembers must feel excited

Why OVERTIME??

To save time, “Rainy Day Time”, just in case the project encounters delays

This is a similar idea to the “Rainy Day Fund” - companies in the US save for bad

times

38 B

Engineering Design Engineering Design Teams: Teams: BuildingBuilding Team Team

PerformancePerformance2. Select team members on the Basis of Skills

in both Primary and Secondary Roles

3. Establish Clear Rules of Behavior

4. Set and Seize upon a few Immediate Performance-Oriented Goals and Tasks

5. Spend Time Together

6. Develop Common Understanding

39

DETAILSLIDE 39-DETAIL

Spend Time Together – for Peak Team Performance

Example:

The US Government spent $100M on a study to find out why some groups of students perform better than others. Secret agents were sent to many top universities mostly in California-Stanford, Berkeley, etc.-Conclusion of the study-students formed SMALL GROUPS, 4 or 5, where they worked on Mathematics and Physics problems; in fact, they did that all the time, even during breakfast, lunch and dinner!!!

39 A

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