Rational decision making: structuring of design meetings

The design process is discussed from the viewpoint of decision-making. In sorting design problems the following stages of strategy, tactics, and execution (called the decision-making cycle), are assumed to always occur. Particular design meetings to obtain improved structuring of the design process are included in this decision-making cycle. The design meetings include decision analysis (DA), potential problem analysis (PPA), failure-mode and effect analysis (FMEA), and design for production (DFP). Progress controls in the decision-making cycle are included to ensure faster feedback about the progress of a project involving checks of the management aspects quality, throughput time, and costs. The necessity of this approach is illustrated by means of data gathered from an industrial automation department