Outsourcing: a simulation and case study-the design qualification process

The design qualification process is an integrated one. It combines a number of disciplines in an evolving process. Design engineering is at the focal point of this process as it responds to a number of inputs to bring the product from idea to production. One of the very first inputs is marketing. Marketing represents the customer's needs and desires. Marketing must work with design engineering to insure that those needs and desires are translated into quantitative specifications. Throughout the process, marketing will be called upon to verify that the customer's own qualitative requirements are reflected in the design. Quality assurance is another input that verifies the acceptability of the design throughout the process. Finally, manufacturing must be called upon to insure that the product is both manufacturable and testable. Once all components have come together in agreement, it is time to launch the product.