Product Architecture is a representation of the product concept outlining the geometry and spatial orientation of the key components and modules making up the product. The architecture development is the first phase of the product development. When you get it right it means that the product would satisfy the key performance requirements, so called “guiding stars”, like for example – energy efficiency, seal-ability, size, weight, bill of material cost target etc. By defining the right architecture, we prove that we found the best compromise solution(s) to the key customer requirements vs. the physical, technical and commercial constraints. Architecture provides an allowable “design space "within which we shall arrive at an optimal product solution for the given specification. Good architecture means that we defined the right balance between integration and decoupling of the product features.
- Objectives/Key learning points
- Understand the purpose/benefit of the good architecture in the context of a particular project
- Firm up on understanding the terminology related to the product architecture definition
- Enable the NPD project team to set up a good product architecture
- Teaching Methodology
- Short theoretical introduction followed by the on-the-project training and capability building
- Implementation Methodology
- There must be a concrete NPD project in an early phase to demonstrate/implement the steps in developing good Product Architecture