CONCEPT SELECTION
7 criteria choice of a product concept based on:
1. Readability of dose settings
2. Dose entering accuracy
3. Ease of manufacture
4. Ease of handling.
5. Ease of use
•How can team choose the best concept when designs
6. Portability
are still quite abstract?
7. Durability
•How can a decision embraced by the whole team?
•How can desirable attributes of otherwise” weak
concepts be identified and used?
•How can the decision-making process be
documented?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
2. Reinforce the importance of the concept selection activity within the
product development process.
3. Explain alternative methods for selecting product concepts,
particularly various data gathering techniques used to solicit
customer feedback.
Mission Development
Statement Identify Establish Generate Select Test Set Plan Plan
Customer Target Product Product Product Final Downstream
Needs Specifications Concepts Concept(s) Concept(s) Specifications Development
Perform Economic Analysis
Benchmark Competitive Products
Build and Test Models and Prototypes
Concept Selection
An Integral Part of the Product Development Process
Method for Choosing a Concept
1. External decision:
Concepts turned over to customer, client, or other external entity for selection.
2. Product champion:
Influential team member choose concept based on personal preference.
3. Intuition:
The concept chosen by its feel. Explicit criteria or trade-offs are not used.
4. Multi voting
Votes for several concepts for selection.
5. Pros and cons:
Lists strengths & weaknesses each concept. Choice is based on group opinion.
6. Prototype and test:
prototypes of each concept is tested , making a selection based on test data
7. Decision matrices:
team rates each concept against pre-specified selection criteria using weighted.
Concept Selection Example
Concept Selection Example
Concept Selection Example
Concept Selection Example
concept generation
concept screening
concept scoring
concept testing
Benefits of structured Method Offers Several
A customer-focused product: concept against customer-oriented criteria, selected
concept focused on the customer.
A competitive design: Benchmarking concepts to existing designs, competitors'
performance
Better product-process coordination: Product's manufacturability match with the
process capabilities.
Reduced time to product introduction: Faster communication, and fewer false starts.
Effective group decision making: Decision making based on objective , minimizes the
likelihood and personal factors.
Documentation of the decision process: A structured method results . Useful for
assimilating new team members and quickly
assessing the impact of changes
Prepare the Matrix Rate Concepts
Criteria Scale (+ – 0) or (1–5)
Reference Concept Compare to Reference
Weightings Concept or Values
Combine and Rank Concepts
Improve Sum Weighted Scores
Remove Bad Features
Combine Good Qualities
Select Best Concept Reflect on the Process
May Be More than One Continuous Improvement
Beware of Average
Concepts
- 2 stage concept selection methodology
Methodology
- 1st stage may suffice for simple design decisions
1st called concept screening
Purposes : narrow the number of
concepts quickly and to improve
the concepts
2nd stage called concept scoring
- differentiate among competing concepts
- weighs the relative importance of the
selection criteria.
- Focuses on refined comparisons each
criterion
- Scores determined by weighted sum of
ratings
CONCEPT VARIANTS
SELECTION
CRITERIA A B C D E F G REF.
Ease of Handling 0 0 – 0 0 – – 0
Ease of Use 0 – – 0 0 + 0 0
Number Readability 0 0 + 0 + 0 + 0
Dose Metering + + + + + 0 + 0
Load Handling 0 0 0 0 0 + 0 0
Manufacturing Ease + – – 0 0 – 0 0
Portability + + – – 0 – – 0
PLUSES 3 2 2 1 2 2 2
SAMES 4 3 1 5 5 2 3
MINUSES 0 2 4 1 0 3 2
NET 3 0 –2 0 2 –1 0
RANK 1 3 7 5 2 6 4
CONTINUE? Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes
Concepts
A DF E G+
(reference)
Master Cylinder Lever Stop Swash Ring Dial Screw+
Weighted Weighted Weighted Weighted
Selection Criteria Weight Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score
Ease of Handling 5% 3 0.15 3 0.15 4 0.2 4 0.2
Ease of Use 15% 3 0.45 4 0.6 4 0.6 3 0.45
Readability of Settings 10% 2 0.2 3 0.3 5 0.5 5 0.5
Dose Metering Accuracy 25% 3 0.75 3 0.75 2 0.5 3 0.75
Durability 15% 2 0.3 5 0.75 4 0.6 3 0.45
Ease of Manufacture 20% 3 0.6 3 0.6 2 0.4 2 0.4
Portability 10% 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3
Total Score 2.75 3.45 3.10 3.05
Rank 4 1 2 3
Continue? No Develop No No
Customer Needs
Concept Selection Matrix
Classic $2.75
Quick Click $2.58
Twist Erase $2.08
Zézé $0.90
Bic $0.33
The goal of concept selection is not to
Select the best concept.
but to
Develop the best concept.
So remember to combine and refine the concepts to
develop better ones!
• Beware of the best "average" product.
• Perform concept selection for each different customer
group and compare results.
• Check sensitivity of selection to the importance weightings
and ratings.
• May want to use all of detailed requirements in final stages
of selection.
• Note features which can be applied to other concepts.
Summary
•Concept selection
- process of evaluating concepts respect to customer needs and other criteria,
- comparing relative strengths and weaknesses,
- selecting one or more concepts for further-investigation/development.
•Decision techniques for selecting concepts range from intuitive approaches to
structured methods.
•Successful design facilitated by structured concept selection.
•Two stage process: concept screening and concept scoring.
•Concept screening uses a reference concept to evaluate concept variants against
selection criteria.
•Concept screening uses a coarse comparison system to narrow the range of concepts
under consideration.
•Concept scoring may use different reference points for each criterion.
•Concept scoring uses weighted selection criteria and a finer rating scale. Concept
scoring may be skipped if concept screening produces a dominant concept.
Summary
•Both screening and scoring use a matrix (six-step selection process). The six
steps are:
1. Prepare the selection matrix.
2. Rate the concepts.
3. Rank the concepts.
4. Combine and improve the concepts.
5. Select one or more concepts.
6. Reflect on the results and the process.
•Concept selection applied throughout the subsequent design and development
process.
•Concept selection - selection of a winning concept, helps build team
consensus, and creates a record of the decision-making process.
