R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Design Project Management Voice of the Customer: Background Research and Affinity Diagrams Rochester Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Department Rochester, NY USA

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Session Objectives Introduce Affinity Diagrams Discuss background research Practice affinity diagram Work time: review proposed interview list and questions with guide

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Session Objectives Introduce Affinity Diagrams Discuss background research Practice affinity diagram Work time: review proposed interview list and questions with guide

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Preview of next steps Translate customer statements to needs Organize needs into groups Order groups in importance Create functions that need to be accomplished Create numerical specifications Use engineering analysis to determine if these specifications are reasonable

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Needs translation Focus on what it needs to do not how you accomplish it. Use positive statements “I drop this thing all the time” Correct: Product operates normally after being dropped repeatedly Incorrect: The product is rugged Incorrect: The product needs a magnetic holder so it does not get dropped Incorrect: The product is made out of rubber so it bounces when dropped From Ulrich and Eppinger

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Needs translation Use positive, not negative statements

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Are there any themes? (Affinity Diagrams, KJ method) Write each need on a sticky note or card Add more if something else come up when reading other’s notes Group according to similarity Take items that seem to belong together and group them in a clear space It’s ok to move things around or rearrange others groups till it makes sense No discussing notes or groups until all items are in a group (groups of one are ok) Name groups (each person do this without discussion) (use nouns, “hand interface problems”)

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering 06bd03e jpeghttp:// 06bd03e jpeg

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Case Study from Spring Data sorted by stakeholder  Data sorted by common theme

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering By Stakeholder

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering By Theme

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Questions?

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Session Objectives Introduce Affinity Diagrams Discuss background research Practice affinity diagram Work time: review proposed interview list and questions with guide

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Why do we need background research?

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Why do we need background research? Know what you’re talking about when you go to interviews Current standards and regulations Current state of the art (maybe still in research phase) Don’t waste interview subjects’ time Know who your competitors are

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Where can you find background information?

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Session Objectives Introduce Affinity Diagrams Discuss background research Practice affinity diagram Work time: review proposed interview list and questions with guide

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Sources for Background Research Wallace Library website: Wallace Library Database finder: %3A*&fq[]=subject:%22Engineering+%2F+Tec hnology%22 %3A*&fq[]=subject:%22Engineering+%2F+Tec hnology%22 ASME ASTM IEEE Patent Office:

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Sorting Through Information Narrow your search Scan abstracts, not full papers Look for “Special Issue” or conference from a professional society subdivision: Ex: Not IMECE (ASME annual conference) but SBC (ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference) Summarize results, sort by theme Don’t go too deep yet Wait until you know what your focus is!

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Know your sources! Journal article Peer-reviewed, extensive work complete Published standards Peer-reviewed, consensus of practicing industry specialists Conference paper May be peer-reviewed, rapid publication, interim publication Society magazine Current topics, no peer review, ideas for other sources

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Know your sources! Patents Extensively reviewed, may not have been put into practice Web articles Check for source: opinion piece, journalistic piece, reviewed publication? Textbooks Well-established information, much peer review, not cutting-edge.

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Know your sources! Other internet-based sources Prior MSD team websites: chives or current teams: s chives s Spec sheets, User guides/tutorials Company websites Trade shows or trade publications Mass media Newspapers, magazines Radio, TV shows

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Know your sources! Classroom resources Lecture notes Recorded lectures/videos Other student work Thesis or dissertation Seminars Project reports

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Session Objectives Introduce Affinity Diagrams Discuss background research Practice affinity diagram Work time: review proposed interview list and questions with guide

R. I. T Mechanical Engineering Next: Review with your Guide Use the remainder of the class to plan with your team Review stakeholder groups Review representative stakeholders to contact Review questions Team follow-up on progress Report back at end of class with list of stakeholders