The engineering process is the set of steps that engineers must follow to design and build products. There are a variety of models of the engineering process with many or fewer steps, however most follow a similar pattern. In this article we will examine a nine-step engineering design process used by engineers to tackle specific problems.
The first step in the process of engineering design is to define the problem. This is an essential step because failing to fully and precisely define the problem can cause delays in the design cycle. Often, the solution to a problem can be found in this phase. When students were asked to come up with solutions to attach their school lunch hooks to the bottoms of their desks They came up with an easy hook.
In the next step, a requirements analysis is performed to identify the specifics of the customer’s requirements and resources. This will enable you to create a concrete list of project requirements and limitations. For instance If a client requires their new product to be able to hold 20 pounds an engineer will estimate how much weight the system can support and what the hook’s size should be to ensure that it will hold all of the student’s lunches.
The next step is design synthesis, or design planning, and is when the specifics are set and a detailed design of the product is designed. This phase involves creating the inputs and outputs of the various modules that comprise the system, and their interconnections. This stage includes Gantt and Pert chart spreadsheets, resource loading spreadsheets, sketches, drawings, and proof-of concept models.