Abstract

Abstract: With the introduction of Taguchi methods much research on handling uncertainty in New Product Development (NPD) has shifted towards the principles of robust design. The focus of these approaches has been almost exclusively on the product domain. Despite the potential benefits of applying such concepts to the process domain, the robustness of product development processes – and the design process in particular – is recognised as an under-researched area. For example, due to the lack of a precise definition of robustness in the process domain the principles of robust design have been often used to denote different meanings and encompass different attributes of a process, such as its reliability or flexibility.

The presentation will discuss the robustness of the engineering design process. First, the concept of robustness will be discussed. Second, the analogies between product robust design and process robust design will be presented. Then, simulation modelling will be proposed as a way of investigating design process robustness. Finally, the limitations of this approach will be given.