Highly Successful Engineering Design Projects AHA Messages

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1	*	AHA Messages	X
2	1	Everyone can learn to have highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
3	2	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects are completed on time. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
4	3	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects are completed on budget. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
5	4	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects result in products that are easy to manufacture. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
6	5	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects are adaptable to change. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
7	6	Scalable #EngineeringDesign projects don't require re-design to adapt and grow. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
8	7	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects result in high-quality products. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
9	8	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects make team members happy. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
10	9	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects make management happy. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
11	10	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects make the project leader happy and successful. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
12	11	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects become the models for other projects. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
13	12	Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects make the company successful. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
14	13	Write detailed #EngineeringDesign requirements. #SuccessfulProjects have detailed requirements that include the customer's POV (inputs) and the engineering department's POV (outputs).	Share on X
15	14	Make sure that #EngineeringDesign requirements are testable. To have #SuccessfulProjects, it must be clear when requirements are or are not met.	Share on X
16	15	Get agreement from all stakeholders on the #EngineeringDesign requirements before proceeding. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
17	16	Ensure that #EngineeringDesign requirements are complete, and review them several times with your team. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
18	17	#EngineeringDesign requirements may change as customers, competitors, and technology change. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
19	18	Describe the appearance of mechanical, electrical, software, and firmware features in the #EngineeringDesign requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
20	19	Specify environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, altitude, shock, and vibration, in the #EngineeringDesign requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
21	20	Specify serviceability and support in the #EngineeringDesign requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
22	21	Specify cleaning and sterilization in the #EngineeringDesign requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
23	22	Specify compatibility in the #EngineeringDesign requirements, such as working with other devices and software or backward compatibility with older products. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
24	23	Specify the cost target in the #EngineeringDesign requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
25	24	Writing software requirements for #EngineeringDesign projects is hard. If you have not done it before, seek advice. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
26	25	Include pictures of each screen in the software requirements of your #EngineeringDesign project. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
27	26	Describe what happens when you use each tool on your screen (e.g., buttons, text-entry boxes, drop-down lists, etc.) in the #EngineeringDesign software requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
28	27	Describe how to move from one screen to the next in the #EngineeringDesign software requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
29	28	Describe any calculations, data processing, file processing, data transmission, or alarms that happen and what triggers them to happen in the #EngineeringDesign software requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
30	29	Specify the wording for each alarm in the #EngineeringDesign requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
31	30	#EngineeringDesign requirements should be modular and traceable to higher level requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
32	31	When writing requirements, understand both the user and the purchaser to have a successful #EngineeringDesign project. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
33	32	Write a detailed development schedule, with each activity covering one to two weeks, four weeks being the maximum. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
34	33	An activity in the #EngineeringDesign schedule should be done by one person so responsibility is clear. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
35	34	Build #EngineeringDesign schedules bottom-up instead of top-down. It's okay to start at the top to provide an outline for the team, then build up the schedule from the team details. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
36	35	Build #EngineeringDesign schedules around a 50% confidence level as opposed to a 99%. If each task has 99% confidence, then the margin will be quite large and produce a very conservative schedule. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
37	36	Build margin at the end of the #EngineeringDesign program to improve the confidence to higher than 50%. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
38	37	A highly successful #EngineeringDesign project's end schedule has a date range with a confidence level. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
39	38	Get your stakeholders to come to an agreement on the #EngineeringDesign schedule, especially those who will have to contribute to meeting it. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
40	39	#EngineeringDesign stakeholders should include people from design, marketing, manufacturing, technical support, finance, sales, technical support, etc. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
41	40	Don't proceed without agreement on the #EngineeringDesign schedule. #SuccessfulProjects happen when agreements are in place.	Share on X
42	41	Ask for agreement on the #EngineeringDesign schedule, don't demand it. Make changes to get willing agreement from those who will work to meet the schedule. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
43	42	If stakeholders don't agree on the #EngineeringDesign schedule, don't assume they will agree later — they won't. There is either a flaw in the schedule, or you have not explained something well enough. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
44	43	A good #EngineeringDesign schedule is challenging but doable. People enjoy a challenge, as long as it is not too difficult, and they get rewarded for success. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
45	44	Beware of the person who objects to the #EngineeringDesign schedule but does not have a stake in it. Why is this person involved? #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
46	45	"It shouldn't take this long" is an #EngineeringDesign trap. Trust your data over optimism to have #SuccessfulProjects.	Share on X
47	46	Identify #EngineeringDesign risks and plan to mitigate them. Allow for extra time in the schedule in proportion to the level of risk. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
48	47	To mitigate large #EngineeringDesign risks and have #SuccessfulProjects, do preliminary investigations, prototypes, pilots, or other testing.	Share on X
49	48	If you leave large #EngineeringDesign risks to be resolved during the project, allow time and budget for the predictable and inevitable "unknown" or "unexpected." #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
50	49	#SuccessfulProjects with a detailed #EngineeringDesign plan make it easy to quickly revise the plan when changes happen during the project.	Share on X
51	50	If there is no #EngineeringDesign plan, the project will take far longer to complete than if there is a plan. #SuccessfulProjects happen when there's a plan.	Share on X
52	51	The budget for #EngineeringDesign projects should be planned as carefully as the schedule. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
53	52	The budget for #EngineeringDesign projects is determined from the schedule by adding a cost for each person. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
54	53	Medical device requirements serve as a good model for any good product design. If you're not doing a medical device, adjust the level of documentation to suit your particular needs. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
55	54	Successful medical #EngineeringDesign projects require documentation appropriate for the class of device (I, II, or III for FDA; A, B, or C for CE). Class III or C requires more documentation and gets more scrutiny. #EngineeringDesign	Share on X
56	55	Medical device development has a generally accepted flow: User requirements -> Engineering requirements -> Design -> Verification -> Validation. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
57	56	Verification is the testing that shows the device meets the requirements. #EngineeringDesign	Share on X
58	57	Validation is usually done with animal testing or human testing (clinical trial). #EngineeringDesign	Share on X
59	58	Medical devices have several different types of requirements: 1) Product Requirements Document (PRD), 2) System Requirements (SysRS), and 3) Software Requirements Specification (SRS). #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
60	59	The Product Requirements Document (PRD) has the overall requirements and in simple medical devices, has the complete electrical and mechanical requirements. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
61	60	A complex medical device has System Requirements (SysRS), which are detailed requirements for electrical, mechanical, and industrial design and user experience. Simple devices usually don't have System Requirements. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
62	61	The Software Requirements Specification (SRS) has detailed software requirements. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
63	62	List all the standards that apply to the medical device in the Product Requirements Document (PRD). #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
64	63	Provide an overview of the medical device and its uses that is separate from the requirements and will not be verified. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
65	64	For medical devices, each #EngineeringDesign requirement will be tested during verification. Make sure each requirement can be tested with a measurable result. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
66	65	If you can't test a medical device requirement, it is either badly defined or should not be a requirement. Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects have testable requirements. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
67	66	Make sure each medical device requirement is a single requirement, testable by a single test with a single outcome. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
68	67	Risk analysis will lead to new or changed medical device requirements. Allow time in the #EngineeringDesign schedule for this. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
69	68	Medical device requirements sometimes change during the project. Always review the risk analysis, schedule, and budget if the requirements change. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
70	69	Making changes in medical device requirements after verification testing is expensive. Ensure #SuccessfulProjects by making changes early or in the next version. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
71	70	Making changes in medical device requirements after clinical testing is VERY expensive. Work hard to achieve successful clinical testing, and do pre-testing when possible to have a #SuccessfulProject. #EngineeringDesign	Share on X
72	71	For more advice on medical device requirements, see: https://volersystems.com/product-design/medical-devices/developing-product-requirements-medical-devices/. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
73	72	Hold review meetings more frequently during crucial phases of the #EngineeringDesign project to achieve a highly successful project. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
74	73	In review meetings, discuss the progress, next steps, risks, schedule, and budget of the #EngineeringDesign project. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
75	74	During #EngineeringDesign meetings, focus on what's important. Don't waste everyone's time on something that can be better handled by an individual or a small group. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
76	75	Make sure important issues of the #EngineeringDesign project are covered completely in meetings. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
77	76	For a #SuccessfulProject, make sure everyone contributes in the #EngineeringDesign review meetings.	Share on X
78	77	Have everyone, including junior people, report on their progress to ensure a highly successful #EngineeringDesign project. #SuccessfulProjects.	Share on X
79	78	Hold people accountable for the #EngineeringDesign schedule and budget to ensure #SuccessfulProjects. They agreed to it beforehand, didn't they?	Share on X
80	79	Work on the high-risk #EngineeringDesign tasks first. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
81	80	Change is inevitable, don't fear it. Embrace change cautiously, but avoid making frequent changes to the #EngineeringDesign project. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
82	81	Before making a change to an #EngineeringDesign project, list all the things that need to be done when that change is made, including the impact to the cost, schedule, and risk. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
83	82	To avoid last-minute changes, require all stakeholders to agree that a change is necessary and desirable in the #EngineeringDesign project. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
84	83	Don't micromanage. Highly successful #EngineeringDesign projects give people freedom to do things their way, but not so much freedom that failures can be large. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
85	84	Pay attention to what your people do well and not so well. Offer them specific, direct, and respectful feedback on how to improve on the #EngineeringDesign project. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
86	85	Expect your #EngineeringDesign staff to improve. Teach them and reward them, and they will improve. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
87	86	Are you rewarding your #EngineeringDesign team? Rewards make people feel valued. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
88	87	Reward your #EngineeringDesign people for taking necessary risks regardless of the outcome and for learning from mistakes. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
89	88	#SuccessfulProjects happen when you deliver specific, selective, and timely recognition in person, rather than by just rewarding with money. How do you reward your #EngineeringDesign staff?	Share on X
90	89	Learning how to improve is motivating and can lead to more successful #EngineeringDesign projects. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
91	90	Being on a successful #EngineeringDesign team is motivating. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
92	91	Make sure the engineers understand the entire high-level product and not just their part of it. #EngineeringDesign #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
93	92	1 of 16 Warning Signs of #EngineeringDesign Problems: If people working on the project don't know what is expected of them. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
94	93	2 of 16 Warning Signs of #EngineeringDesign Problems: If the schedule keeps changing. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
95	94	3 of 16 Warning Signs of #EngineeringDesign Problems: If the requirements keep changing. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
96	95	4 of 16 Warning Signs of #EngineeringDesign Problems: If the budget keeps changing. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
97	96	5 of 16 Warning Signs of #EngineeringDesign Problems: If the requirements are never allowed to change. You must adapt to changes, such as competitors or technical discoveries. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
98	97	6 of 16 Warning Signs of #EngineeringDesign Problems: If manufacturing isn't involved in the design. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
99	98	7 of 16 Warning Signs of #EngineeringDesign Problems: If marketing and sales aren't involved in the design. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X
100	99	8 of 16 Warning Signs of #EngineeringDesign Problems: If technical support is not involved in the design. #SuccessfulProjects	Share on X