Copy Right (c) Dr Kai Yang 1

The Integration of DFSS, Lean Product Development and Lean

Knowledge Management

Professor Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

Kai Yang

Copy Right (c) Dr Kai Yang 2

Performance Metrics for Product Development

Product Value

Product Quality

PD Lead Time

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Efficiency

Flexibility

Life Cycle Cost

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Design for Six Sigma Design for Six Sigma is centered at applying effective tools to

strengthen every stage of the product development process

Design Tasks/Stages DFSS Tools

1. Customer and business requirements study

Voice of Customer data collectionEthnographic/ObservationVOC Data AnalysisQFD

2. Concept DesignTRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) Axiomatic Design, DOESimulation/ Optimization

3. Product Parameter Design and Prototyping

Taguchi Method/Robust DesignDOE, RSM, Design for XSimulation/ OptimizationReliability based design/ testing and estimation

4. Process DesignDOETaguchi Method/ Robust designTrouble shooting and diagnosis

Every Company adapts DFSS for its own needs

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How DFSS Helps Product Development?

Product Value VOC, Innovation tools

Product Quality DFSS Tools

PD Lead Time Indirectly

Efficiency Indirectly

Flexibility Indirectly

Life Cycle Cost Reduction of Quality Cost

In current practice, DFSS is not used to redesign the PDprocess

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How Individual Design Task is Performed

What wewan to achieve

How wewant toachieve it

Transform

Input Conversion Output

Information/knowledge

Knowledge Information/knowledge

( Toshiba’s DFSS-KM)

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CAs . . .

PVs . . .

FRs . . .

DPs . . .

Physical Mapping Process Mapping

Y=f(x)

Y=f(x)

Functional Domain

Customer

Domain

PhysicalDomain

ProcessDomain

Information/knowledge Sources

External

Customers

Internal Customers

Mining of Technology Information

Mining of Voice of Customer

Product Development Process

Design Specifications

Domain to Domain Mapping

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A Lean Product Development Should

• Maximize information/knowledge creation• Minimize Loss in information flow and transformation• Minimize information/knowledge waste• Minimize information consumption in product design

Lean Product Development Principles

• Product Development is an Information/Knowledge Creation Process --Information mining, transformation, creation• Product Design consumes information

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Waste in Product Development/R&D

• Waste sales opportunities due to poor product value•Inability to capture and deploy accurate VOC•Poor choice of technology•Poor innovation capabilities

Can be improved by DFSS• Waste in manpower, resources, and time

•Non value added activities•Overburden

Can be imprved by lean task management•Waste in knowledge and information

•Information/knowledge loss/reinvention•Miscommunication

Can be improved by lean knowledge management•Waste due to poor design practice

• Overdesign/excessive complexity• Poor product architecture

Can be improved by lean design

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Lean Product Development Approaches

• Lean Task Management(Toyota Product Development System,D. Reinertsen, R. Mascitelli)

• Lean Design(Toyota, Huthwaite, Suh)

• Lean Knowledge Management(Toyota, Toshiba, Nonaka)

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Waste Elimination Through Lean Methods (Mascitelli)

Value Type 1 Enablers Type 2 Waste

ValueType 1

Enablers

A lean

“Future State”

Our goal if to eliminate Type 2 wherever possible, and minimize the waste in Type 1’s through the use of Lean Methods.

Lean Task Management

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(Toyota): Create Leveled Product Development Process Flow

• Synchronize activities across function• Level the work load, no idle, no overload • Create stead speed job flow for design engineers• Stagger the release of data from one function to the next•Use flexible capacity to deal with to fill the gap in high workload periods. •Use checklists, standard test plans, standard architecture etc to drive out task variation

3 Ms

Muda: (Non-value added)Muri: (Overburden)Mura: (Unevenness)

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Minimize Information Consumption in Product Design--Lean Design (Huthwaite, Suh)

• Reducing unnecessary product functions and parts

• Best Practice/Standardization

• Loosening up unreasonable tolerances

• Using standard/out of shelf parts

• Controlling technical immaturity

• Avoiding complicated user/operator requirements

• Avoiding complicated interface requirements

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Lean Knowledge Management– An ideal product development process should be such that it

creates information and knowledge at the highest efficiency, speed and quality.

– Waste of information and knowledge in the product design is at a minimum.

Knowledge and Information SupermarketInformation and knowledge is always fresh and up to date;Information and knowledge is sufficient to serve all the needs of the PDKnow where each information and knowledge is storedInformation is ready to be pulled at the right time, the right kind and right amount.

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Explicit and tacit knowledge (Polanyi) – Tacit knowledge refers to a knowledge which is only known by an

individual and that is difficult to communicate to the rest of an organization

Explicit knowledge is knowledge that has been or can be articulated, codified, and stored in certain media

(Reports, codes, formula, flow charts, books)

Process of transforming tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge is codification or articulation.

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Tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge are not totally separate but are mutually complementary entities. (Nonaka)

• Nonaka’s work is a good start point of identify the nature of the knowledge, but this frame is insufficient towards the complexity of knowledge management requirements.

Socialization Externalization

Internalization CombinationTacit knowledge

Tacit knowledge

Tacit knowledge

Tacit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

Socialization Externalization

Internalization CombinationTacit knowledge

Tacit knowledge

Tacit knowledge

Tacit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

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Main functions of the lean knowledge management system

• Capture the relevant external explicit knowledge base for product development• Capture, maintain and update the marketing and voice of customer information.• Capture, maintain and update corporation’s internal explicit knowledge base, • Capture, convert and share tacit knowledge of employees, and possibly suppliers.• Facilitate easy access of all information for all kind of internal users, regardless of

their profession affiliation, and location.• Manage the knowledge contents to ensure that the contents are well organized,

constantly updated, and free of errors.

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Some Lean Knowledge Management PracticesA3 Report (Toyota)

• Toyota’s A3 Problem-Solving Tool refers to a standardized communication format, a disciplined process of expressing complex thoughts accurately on a single sheet of paper.

• A3 is a standardized technical writing methodology to create a report on one side of a standard size piece of paper to guide problem solving and achieve clear communication across functional specialties.

• A3 writing is a process of transferring tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge

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Toyota A3 Report (Cont’D)

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Toyota’s V-Comm System

• Pull files and documents

• Show Virtual Build

• Pull Knowledge base

• World Wide VirtualConference

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Knowledge Database

• Best Practice Files• Past Issues, quality hazards • Recommended key specifications • Even sound file of a latch/lock

V-Comm’s Knowledge Database Main Success Factors

• Right on the main traffic points of the PD process• Ready to pull information when needed at the right place • Updated, comprehensive, easy to search information

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Wikipedia is a near perfect example of“Information and Knowledge

Supermarket”

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How Lean PD Helps Product Development?

Product Value

Waste Reduction, Better Flow

Product Quality

Less Waste

PD Lead Time

Indirectly

Efficiency

Indirectly

Flexibility

Life Cycle Cost Lower PD Cost, better designpractice

Set Based Design, less rigid process

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How Lean KM Helps Product Development?

Product Value

Quick pull of knowledge/information

Product Quality

PD Lead Time

Efficiency

Flexibility

Life Cycle Cost

Quick pull of knowledge, faster reaction time

Use of most appropriate technique/method

Access to best practices, avoid same mistakes

Quick pull of knowledge/information,reducing redesign

Indirectly

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Designs for Six Sigma and lean product development are complementary of each other and they can be implemented in parallel.

Lean knowledge management system should be built gradually in order to be seamlessly integrated into our daily working practice.

Integration Strategy

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Q & A