Design for X (DFX): Key to competitive, profitable products

A key to competitive, profitable product realization is design for X (DFX); i.e., design for manufacturability, testability, installability, compliance, reliability, and other downstream considerations. DFX is a philosophy and practice that ensures quality products and services, reduces the time to market for a product, and minimizes life-cycle costs. Therefore, it is crucial to achieving customer satisfaction. This paper introduces DFX as a strategic concept for product realization, provides a framework and examples of techniques for supporting DFX, and gives an overview of the other papers in this issue of the AT&T Technical Journal.