24-10-2012, 12:02 PM
Design Engineering
ABSTRACT
The evolution of design engineering this past year has been fueled by the president’s vision for space exploration. X-Prize
activity, and the continued budget crunches and tight schedules that accompany them. Evolution in design practices (or
metrics) has shown the importance of defining requirements at the beginning of a project. Smart project managers will try to
prevent non-applicable requirements from being mandated, or allow the ‘creep’ of these requirements, both of which drive up
cost and schedule. Unfortunately, they are not always able to control this. In a multiagency or multi- division organization,
political posturing and corporate culture greatly affect the design engineer. One group will mandate requirements on another
group without fully comprehending their impact on cost, schedules. and technical feasibility.