DESIGN Thinking
- Marty Schad
- Sep 6, 2018
- 2 min read
Part of crafting great processes is being intentional, analytical, and deliberate. Equipment design groups routinely have Design Reviews before embarking on a major fabrication effort. Why don’t process engineering groups do the same? I think the process should be designed and reviewed just as thoroughly as the equipment normally is. This review will force the stakeholders to explicitly describe and discuss the assumptions and the design of the process. This is a very useful activity. Design Thinking is part of my “Toolkit” of skills and approaches. It enables the Process Engineer to put the Process Architect “hat” on, creating a more complete and holistic view of the situation. Some of the design methods I have productively used include: • Axiomatic Analysis (please refer to the Principles of Design book by Nam P. Suh) This method is great to determine how “coupled” a process is. The more coupled a process is, the less robust it will be. • IPO Prioritization Matrix The IPO method is well suited for down-selecting from multiple process alternatives. • Ideal Final Result This method works backwards from a perfect design to create a “design path” of possible alternatives. These “design reviews” can vary greatly, from an informal/quick analysis to a complete and peer-reviewed study. Insight will be gained in all cases by the explicit review of design choices and the balancing of tradeoffs. My main learning is that Design Thinking is a vital part of stepping back and getting the complete picture. It helps the Process Engineer understand tradeoffs and choices, which can be particularly useful in early-stage projects.
YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK
Please think about your organization’s recent process development projects, both R&D and manufacturing efforts…
Have your process leaders conducted a process Design Review?
What tools do you use to analyze and improve process designs? Do you need to add more design methods to your toolkit?
I’d enjoy hearing about how you approach process design in your organization. As always, please hit reply to this email and I’ll get back to you promptly.
All the Best, Marty
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