Systems design engineering

Design is the creative process by which our understanding of logic and science is joined with our understanding of human needs and wants to conceive and refine artifacts that serve specific human purposes. Design is central to the practice of systems engineering and systems engineers understand that design is a creative, iterative, decision‐making process. In this paper, we provide an overview of design from the perspective of the systems engineer. We review the steps in the design process and consider the characteristic activities, techniques, and tools of systems engineering in terms of how these activities support the central mission of systems design. We briefly discuss some of the major influences on current design research. Of particular interest is the axiomatic theory of design developed from the perspective of manufacturing engineering, which ultimately leads to a set of design principles, rules, and practices which are embodied in Design for Manufacture (DFM). DFM is a systems approach to improving the competitiveness of a manufacturing enterprise by developing products that are easier, faster, and less expensive to make, while maintaining required standards of functionality, quality, and marketability. We review the systems engineering philosophy underlying DFM—and its broader interpretation as concurrent or simultaneous engineering, or integrated product development—and define some of the strategies, techniques, and tools currently used to implement this philosophy in industry. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Syst Eng 1: 285–302, 1998