Comments on: Be Authentic http://www.shipulski.com/2010/06/23/be-authentic/ Innovation, Product Development, Design Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:15:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mike http://www.shipulski.com/2010/06/23/be-authentic/comment-page-1/#comment-861 Mike Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:03:42 +0000 http://www.shipulski.com/?p=932#comment-861 As you say, raising the level of Engineering's DFMA competency and getting company leadership to buy into it are the keys to success. Engineering has to think it's a good idea to raise their own game in the area of DFMA competency and company management must think it's a good way to make money. The message: The savings are real and significant. There is a formalize process to get it done. To start, you must educate on the magnitude of the savings and the methods to achieve them. Here are the two tricky formulas: (material cost of your highest volume product) X (yearly volume) X 25% - this is an easy target. (material cost of your highest volume product) X (yearly volume) X 50% - this is the entitlement. The methods - Systematic DFMA Deployment A systematic, milestone-based process Standardized metrics and deliverables Data-driven approach Defined tools and business processes Integrates nicely with product develoment, Lean, Six Sigma. The education must happen at a high level - a level that can influence the engineering community - CEO, SVP of Engineering/Technology, SVP of Programs. To make it feel good to engineering, the message is: Engineering is the only organization smart enough to pull this off (to achieve these types of savings). And we're going to give you, engineering, the tools, time, training, and teacher to make it happen (the four Ts). The education must find someone with a problem who sees Systematic DFMA Deployment as a way to solve it, or it must find a person with an initiative who sees Systematic DFMA Deployment as a way to execute it. As you say, raising the level of Engineering’s DFMA competency and getting company leadership to buy into it are the keys to success. Engineering has to think it’s a good idea to raise their own game in the area of DFMA competency and company management must think it’s a good way to make money. The message:

The savings are real and significant.
There is a formalize process to get it done.

To start, you must educate on the magnitude of the savings and the methods to achieve them. Here are the two tricky formulas:

(material cost of your highest volume product) X (yearly volume) X 25% – this is an easy target.
(material cost of your highest volume product) X (yearly volume) X 50% – this is the entitlement.

The methods – Systematic DFMA Deployment
A systematic, milestone-based process
Standardized metrics and deliverables
Data-driven approach
Defined tools and business processes
Integrates nicely with product develoment, Lean, Six Sigma.

The education must happen at a high level – a level that can influence the engineering community – CEO, SVP of Engineering/Technology, SVP of Programs. To make it feel good to engineering, the message is: Engineering is the only organization smart enough to pull this off (to achieve these types of savings). And we’re going to give you, engineering, the tools, time, training, and teacher to make it happen (the four Ts).

The education must find someone with a problem who sees Systematic DFMA Deployment as a way to solve it, or it must find a person with an initiative who sees Systematic DFMA Deployment as a way to execute it.

]]> By: Steven Estergreen http://www.shipulski.com/2010/06/23/be-authentic/comment-page-1/#comment-854 Steven Estergreen Fri, 09 Jul 2010 23:11:07 +0000 http://www.shipulski.com/?p=932#comment-854 Lots of times more than authenticity or truth is needed to achieve our goals. It takes skill to tell the truth in a way that increases rather than decreases how much truth is heard. And, when different people on the team have different goals, it can really get tough - although I haven't seen any bullets in the conference rooms. I recently attended a class presented by a company named Vital Smarts that gave a lot of tools for addressing those situations, which they call "Crucial Conversations" - defined as when stakes are high, opinions differ, and emotions run strong. Just about any conversation that involves changing another's behavior fits the bill, whether trying to get your daughter to clean her room, getting your design engineers to learn and use DFMA, or getting management to allow the engineers time to learn minimalist design (aka DFMA) even if it seems to them that it will slow down the design of the next product. It's that last situation for which I'm hoping this group can give me some practical (meaning that it came from practicing/doing rather than from sitting around thinking about it) advice. Lots of times more than authenticity or truth is needed to achieve our goals. It takes skill to tell the truth in a way that increases rather than decreases how much truth is heard. And, when different people on the team have different goals, it can really get tough – although I haven’t seen any bullets in the conference rooms.

I recently attended a class presented by a company named Vital Smarts that gave a lot of tools for addressing those situations, which they call “Crucial Conversations” – defined as when stakes are high, opinions differ, and emotions run strong. Just about any conversation that involves changing another’s behavior fits the bill, whether trying to get your daughter to clean her room, getting your design engineers to learn and use DFMA, or getting management to allow the engineers time to learn minimalist design (aka DFMA) even if it seems to them that it will slow down the design of the next product. It’s that last situation for which I’m hoping this group can give me some practical (meaning that it came from practicing/doing rather than from sitting around thinking about it) advice.

]]> By: Nick http://www.shipulski.com/2010/06/23/be-authentic/comment-page-1/#comment-780 Nick Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:48:49 +0000 http://www.shipulski.com/?p=932#comment-780 Mike, Another great article. You must have a camera in my office because over the last 6 months you've written a couple of articles like this one that are not pure DFMA/manufacturing subjects, but have been incredibly timely in that they are very current to the struggles of the week. Ever consider adding executive coach to your resume? Mike,

Another great article.

You must have a camera in my office because over the last 6 months you’ve written a couple of articles like this one that are not pure DFMA/manufacturing subjects, but have been incredibly timely in that they are very current to the struggles of the week.

Ever consider adding executive coach to your resume?

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