Chapter 7: Design for Quality and Product Excellence
TRUE/FALSE
1. If an idea survives the concept stage of product development, the actual design process begins by
evaluating design alternatives and determining engineering specifications for all materials,
components, and parts.
2. The idea generation phase of product development usually includes prototype testing, in which a
model is constructed to test the product’s physical properties or use under actual operating conditions.
3. One of the most significant barriers to efficient product development is the adaption of concurrent
engineering within an organization.
4. The outcome of innovation in product development is a discontinuous or breakthrough change and
results in new and unique goods and services that delight customers and create competitive advantage.
5. Innovation is built upon strong research and development (R&D) processes.
6. When decisions about the safety, life, serviceability, and maintainability of products are dominated by
customer requirements rather than by engineering considerations, poor designs that fail in the market
are often the result.
7. The methodology of axiomatic design is based on the premise that good design is governed by laws
similar to those in natural science.
8. The axiomatic design method of product development tends to increase design time.
9. The principles of axiomatic design help designers better apply tools such as TRIZ and quality function
deployment.
10. Under quality function deployment, all operations of a company are driven by edicts of top
management rather than by the voice of the customer.
11. The quality function deployment tool increases the time for new product development.
12. A typical scheme of the House of Quality uses the symbol Δ to denote a strong relationship between
any pair of technical requirements.
13. After basic technical requirements have been established in product development process, designers
must set specific dimensional or operational targets and tolerances for critical manufacturing or service
characteristics.
14. Narrow tolerances in product design tend to reduce manufacturing costs and decrease the
interchangeability of parts within the plant and in the field, product performance, durability, and
appearance.
15. A tolerance reserve or factor of safety in product design is needed to account for engineering
uncertainty regarding the maximum variation allowable and compatibility with satisfactory product
performance.
16. Wide tolerances in product design have a positive impact on product characteristics.
17. The Taguchi loss function can be used to set product design tolerances in an economical fashion.
18. A product failure which occurs at the start of product life due to manufacturing or material defects
such as a missing connection or a faulty component is referred to as functional failure.
19. In practice, product design reliability is determined by the number of failures per unit time during the
duration under consideration.
20. In series systems failure of an individual component is less critical than in parallel systems.
21. Redundant components, when used in a parallel system, tend to decrease the reliability of the system.
22. Redundancy in a parallel system decreases the cost, size, and weight of the system.
23. According to the theory of strict liability, anyone who sells a product that is defective or unreasonably
dangerous is subject to liability for any physical harm caused to the user, the consumer, or the property
of either.
24. Product designs with numerous parts decrease the incidence of part mix-ups, missing parts, and test
failures.
25. Accelerated life testing involves overstressing components to reduce the time to failure and find
weaknesses.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is the first phase of a typical product development process?
a.
Product/process development
b.
Idea generation
c.
Preliminary concept development
d.
Market introduction
2. New ideas are studied for feasibility in the _____ phase of product development.
a.
market evaluation
b.
process development
c.
full-scale production
d.
preliminary concept development
3. Which of the following phases of product development usually includes prototype testing?
a.
Product/process development
b.
Idea generation
c.
Full-scale production
d.
Market evaluation
4. The product is distributed to customers in the _____ phase of product development.
a.
preliminary concept development
b.
market introduction
c.
idea generation
d.
full-scale production
5. _____ is a process in which all major functions involved with bringing a product to market are
continuously involved with product development from conception through sales.
a.
Six sigma
b.
Concurrent engineering
c.
Organizational learning
d.
Axiomatic design
6. Which of the following activities of the design for six sigma (DFSS) focuses on creating and building
a product idea and determining its functionality based upon customer requirements, technological
capabilities, and economic realities?
a.
Detailed design
b.
Design verification
c.
Concept development
d.
Design optimization
7. Which of the following activities of the design for six sigma (DFSS) focuses on developing specific
requirements and design parameters such as specifications and tolerances to ensure that the product
fulfills the functional requirements of the concept?
a.
Concept development
b.
Design verification
c.
Design optimization
d.
Detailed design
8. Which of the following activities of the design for six sigma (DFSS) seeks to refine designs to identify
and eliminate potential failures, achieve high reliability, and ensure that it can be easily manufactured,
assembled, or delivered in an environmentally-responsible manner?
a.
Detailed design
b.
Design optimization
c.
Concept development
d.
Design verification
9. Which of the following activities of the design for six sigma (DFSS) ensures that the quality level and
reliability requirements of the product are achieved?
a.
Design verification
b.
Design optimization
c.
Detailed design
d.
Concept development
10. The DMADV process incorporates the principal activities of the design for six sigma. Which of the
following activities included in DMADV focuses on identifying and understanding the market need or
opportunity?
a.
Design
b.
Measure
c.
Analyze
d.
Define
11. Which of the following activities included in the DMADV process gathers the voice of the customer,
identifies the vital characteristics that are most important to customers, and outlines the functional
requirements of the product that will meet customer needs?
a.
Design
b.
Measure
c.
Analyze
d.
Verify
12. Which of the following activities included in the DMADV process is focused on concept development
from engineering and aesthetic perspectives and often includes the creation of drawings, virtual
models, or simulations to develop and understand the functional characteristic of the product?
a.
Measure
b.
Define
c.
Verify
d.
Analyze
13. Which of the following activities included in the DMADV process focuses on developing detailed
specifications, purchasing requirements, and so on, so that the concept can be produced?
a.
Measure
b.
Define
c.
Design
d.
Analyze
14. Which of the following activities involved in the DMADV process involves prototype development,
testing, and implementation planning for production?
a.
Define
b.
Measure
c.
Design
d.
Verify
15. _____ involves the adoption of an idea, process, technology, product, or business model that is either
new or new to its proposed application.
a.
Concurrent engineering
b.
Total quality management (TQM)
c.
Design optimization
d.
Innovation
16. _____ is seeing things in new or novel ways.
a.
Flexibility
b.
Agility
c.
Creativity
d.
Quality assurance
17. Which of the following is a creativity tool that finds extensive use in product design?
a.
TRIZ
b.
Fault tree analysis
c.
Likert scale
d.
Cause-and-effect diagram
18. _____ is a methodology used in the product design process, developed by Dr. Nam Suh from MIT,
which is based on the premise that good design is governed by laws similar to those in natural science.
a.
Fault tree analysis
b.
Axiomatic design
c.
Design failure mode and effects analysis (DFMEA)
d.
Six sigma
19. In the context of the axiomatic design method, the information axiom states that:
a.
good design occurs when the functional requirements of the design are independent of one
another.
b.
developing specific requirements and design parameters such as specifications and
tolerances leads to the creation of a high quality product.
c.
good design corresponds to minimum complexity.
d.
all the departments in an organization should be continuously involved with product
development from conception through sales.
20. In the context of the axiomatic design method, the independence axiom states that:
a.
good design occurs when the functional requirements of the design are separate from one
another.
b.
developing specific requirements and design parameters such as specifications and
tolerances leads to the creation of a high quality product.
c.
good design corresponds to minimum complexity.
d.
all the departments in an organization should be continuously involved with product
development from conception through sales.
21. Which of the following tools is most likely to be used for establishing technical design requirements
that meet customer needs and placing them in subsequent production activities?
a.
Likert scale
b.
Quality function deployment
c.
Cause-and-effect diagram
d.
Fault tree analysis
22. The matrix used by the quality function deployment to ensure that the voice of the customer is carried
throughout the production/delivery process is called the _____.
a.
Hidden Factory
b.
Quincunx
c.
Likert Scale
d.
House of Quality
23. The first House of Quality relates:
a.
component requirements to process operations.
b.
customer requirements to a product’s overall technical requirements.
c.
process operations to quality control plans
d.
technical requirements of a product to component requirements.
24. The final House of Quality relates:
a.
process operations to component requirements.
b.
customer requirements to technical requirements.
c.
technical requirements to component requirements.
d.
process operations to quality control plans.
25. Which of the following is the first House of Quality matrix?
a.
Customer requirement planning matrix
b.
Process operations matrix
c.
Technical requirement planning matrix
d.
Component characteristics matrix
26. Which of the following symbols is used to denote a very strong relationship between any pair of
technical requirements in a typical House of Quality?
a.
*
b.
Δ
c.
^
d.
•
27. Which of the following symbols is used to denote a weak relationship between any pair of technical
requirements in a typical House of Quality?
a.
•
b.
*
c.
Δ
d.
#
28. In the context of manufacturing specifications, the term “tolerance” refers to:
a.
the target value that manufacturing seeks to meet.
b.
the specification that best represents the requirements of the customer.
c.
the specification which leads to the development of the least costly product.
d.
the permissible variation, recognizing the difficulty of meeting a target consistently.
29. The predicted reliability determined by the design of the product or process is called the _____
reliability.
a.
achieved
b.
perceived
c.
inherent
d.
nominal
30. A personal computer system is composed of the processing unit, graphics board, and keyboard with
reliabilities of 0.976, 0.785, and 0.893, respectively. This is a series system and even if one component
fails, the computer will not function correctly. The reliability of this system is:
a.
0.684
b.
0.953
c.
2.654
d.
0.857
31. An electric component has a failure rate of λ= 0.0035 failure per hour. For this component, the mean
time to failure(θ) is _____.
a.
356.8 hours
b.
285.7 hours
c.
532.7 hours
d.
258 hours
32. Robust design refers to designing goods and services that:
a.
make the most efficient use of the available resources.
b.
create a competitive advantage for the organization in the market.
c.
are insensitive to variation in manufacturing processes and when consumers use them.
d.
are the least costly to produce.
33. _____ is a method to describe combinations of conditions or events that can lead to a failure.
a.
Axiomatic design
b.
Quality function deployment
c.
Fault tree analysis
d.
Total quality management
34. _____ is the process of designing a product for efficient production at the highest level of quality.
a.
Design for manufacturability
b.
Concurrent engineering
c.
Design for disassembly
d.
Design for environment
35. Accelerated life testing involves:
a.
using the fault tree analysis technique to find the defects in the product.
b.
using the TRIZ tool to identify faults in the designing of the product.
c.
overstressing components to reduce the time to failure and find weaknesses.
d.
finding the degree to which the product meets the customer requirements.
ESSAY
1. Describe the product/process development phase in a typical product development process.
2. Describe concurrent engineering.
3. List the four different types of innovations classified by The Small Business Administration with
examples.
ANS:
4. List the six basic steps involved in building the house of quality.
ANS:
5. Describe Fault Tree Analysis.
ANS:
CASE
1. Which of the following products marked Shure’s entry into the manufacturing in 1932?
a. Microphones
b. Digital signal processors
c. Mixers
d. Hands-free cell phones
2. What is the mission and philosophy of Shure Inc.?
3. Which of the following remains Shure’s flagship product to this day?
a. Hands-free cell phones
b. Mixers
c. Digital signal processors
d. Microphones
4. What helped Shure’s products to be known early on for their outstanding quality and durability?
5. Describe the microphone drop test procedure used by Shure Inc.
6. Describe the perspiration test procedure used by Shure Inc.
7. Describe the test used by Shure Inc. to determine ability of their product to withstand extreme
temperature for extended periods of time.
ANS:
8. Which of the following tests is conducted by Shure Inc. to determine the ability of stylus to withstand
accidental drops and side impacts?
a. Microphone drop test
b. Perspiration test
c. Cartridge drop and scrape test
d. Cable and cable assembly flex test
9. The managed care organizations (MCOs) used the QFD process to redesign their handbook. List the
criteria based on which the participants for the focus groups, who gave input for this QFD process,
were selected.
ANS:
10. The managed care organizations (MCOs) used the QFD process to redesign their handbook. Describe
the two stages in which the focus group process was administered to obtain inputs for this QFD
process.
11. The managed care organizations (MCOs) used the QFD process to redesign their handbook. List the
steps followed by the focus groups in giving input for this QFD process.
12. List the key customer requirements identified by the managed care organizations (MCOs) while
redesigning their handbook.
13. The managed care organizations (MCOs) used the QFD process to redesign their handbook. List the
technical requirements identified through this QFD process that describe how the organization will
respond to the customer requirements.
ANS:
14. Which of the following customer requirements was given high importance in the House of Quality
which was created by the result of the managed care organizations’ QFD study?
a. Accuracy
b. Conciseness
c. Timeliness
d. Clarity
15. Explain how the Absolute Quality Weight and the Percentage of Importance was determined in the
House of Quality created by the result of the MCOs’ QFD study.