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Improving Engineering Design Designing for Competitive Advantage (1991) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Pages 1-4

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From page 1...
... Engineering curricula focus on a few conventional design procedures rather than on the entire product delivery process, and industry's efforts to teach engineering design tend to be fragmented. A revitalization of university research and teaching in engineering design has begun, but is not well correlated wad the realities or scope of design practice, and research results are not effectively disseminated to industrial firms.
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From page 2...
... An effective PRP generally incorporates the following steps: define customer needs and product performance requirements; plan for product evolution beyond the current design; plan concurrently for design and manufacturing; design the product and its manufacturing processes with full consideration of the entire product life cycle, including distribution, support, maintenance, recycling, and disposal; and produce the product and monitor product and processes. The PRP is a firm's strategy for product excellence and continuous improvement; design practices are its tactics.
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From page 3...
... To improve the teaching of engineering design in universities will require: recognition of the deficiencies in design education; strong high level leadership in establishing goals for improving design education; development of metrics to measure progress toward these goals; creation of designated change agents to plan and implement improvements; and extensive training programs for both new and experienced design teachers. Actions must also be taken to facilitate the teaching of design and to increase university-indus~y cooperation in design education.
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From page 4...
... Collectively, they comprise a national research agenda that will serve to guide the National Science Foundation, other government agencies, private foundations, industrial firms, and individual researchers in the assignment of research priorities and selection of projects. The proposed research is essential to the revitalization of the engineering design infrastructure in the United States and hence to U.S.
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Key Terms

  • design education
  • industrial firms
  • product realization
  • design practice
  • realization process

  • design research
  • design practices
  • entire product
  • improving design
  • improve engineering

  • improving engineering
  • engineering curricula
  • effective engineering
  • product evolution
  • industrial practice

  • increasing funding
  • individual researchers
  • accreditation criteria
  • relevant textbooks
  • programs rarely

  • setting goals
  • current design
  • evolution beyond
  • design courses
  • encouraging faculty

  • supportive design
  • improvement lies
  • central ingredient
  • matching products
  • broad base


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