Product Lifecycle Management

Enrico Vezzetti
 CONCEPT SELECTION

 The concept selection could be developed trough two

steps:
 Concept screening: this is a fast qualitative process
employed for identifying few alternatives
 Concept scoring: this is a successive more detailed
quantitative analysis for understanding which is the
concept that have more probabilities to support the
development of a product of success.
 CONCEPT Screening and scoring steps

For both the methodologies it is necessary to implement the

following steps:
 Selection matrix preparation
Concepts evaluation
Concepts classification
Concepts improvements and combination
Selection of one or more concepts
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe
The example is focused on the development of a Syringe
with a precise control on the dosage measuring for day
hospital usage. The costumer needs are:

Costumer need Importance Relative Importance

Easy of handling
Easy to use
Readability of setting
Dose measuring accuracy
Durability
Easy to Manufacture
Portability
1 5%
3 15%
2 10%
5 25%
3 15%
4 20%
2 10%
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Concept A

Il fluido spostato dal cilindro principale aziona lo spintore. Al rilascio, la cavità del
fluido sigillata viene riempita con più fluido se necessario. La dose è impostata dalla
lunghezza della corsa
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Concept B

Il canotto afferra l'albero quando viene premuto ma si rilascia quando viene tirato (la
frizione in gomma offre resistenza) La dose è impostata in base alla lunghezza della
corsa
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Concept C

Il connettore impegna lo spintore quando lo stantuffo viene spinto e si disinnesta se lo

stantuffo viene tirato. La dose è impostata dalla lunghezza della corsa
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Concept D

La lunghezza della corsa viene impostata avvitando il canotto, aumentando così la

distanza tra lo stantuffo e il manicotto esterno
CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Concept E
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Concept F

La lunghezza della corsa è impostata tramite l'angolo della leva di comando

 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Concept G

Impostare la dose ruotando la manopola. Questa energia viene immagazzinata

in una sorgente. Azionare rilasciando la vite di comando, che ruoterà in base
all'energia di rotazione fornita dalla molla
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe
Criteria A B C D E F G
Easy of Handling
Easy to use
Readability of setting
Dose measuring accuracy
Durability
Easy to Manufacture
Portability
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe
Once created the matrix, it is necessary to identify a
reference concept. It is normally an industrial standard for
that product or an obvious solution. For instance it could
be a product already on the market or a previous version
of the product
In each cell of the previous matrix it is possible to locate
an evaluation of the specific concept, on the specific need
compared with the reference concept. The evaluation is
expressed with “+” for better concept, with “-” for worse
concept or “0” for equal concept
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe
In the Syringe example the concept D has been considered
as REFERENCE because it represents the actual standard
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe - evaluation
Criteria A B C D (Referance) E F G
Easy of Handling 0 0 - 0 0 - -
Easy to use 0 - - 0 0 + 0
Readability of setting 0 0 + 0 + 0 +
Dose measuring accuracy 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
Durability 0 0 0 0 0 + 0
Easy to Manufacture + - - 0 0 - 0
Portability + + 0 0 + 0 0
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – final score
Criteria A B C D (Referance) E F G
Easy of Handling 0 0 - 0 0 - -
Easy to use 0 - - 0 0 + 0
Readability of setting 0 0 + 0 + 0 +
Dose measuring accuracy 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
Durability 0 0 0 0 0 + 0
Easy to Manufacture + - - 0 0 - 0
Portability + + 0 0 + 0 0
Sum + 2 1 1 0 2 2 1
Sum 0 5 4 3 7 4 3 5
Sum - 0 2 3 0 1 2 1
Net Score (n°+) - (n°-) 2 -1 -2 0 1 0 0
Rank 1 4 5 3 2 3 3
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Combine and Improve

Once that the matrix has been filled and that the ranking
has been identified it is necessary to understand the
concept to employ and the concepts to combine or to
improve
The concept to combine or improve are those where:
There is a good concept but with a unique bad feature
It is possible to improve the concept maintaining its
innovation compared with the others
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Combine and Improve

There are two concepts that combined maintain the

positive features and erase the negative ones
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Combine and Improve
The concept A has only positive evaluation
Criteria A
Easy of 0
Handling
Easy to use 0
Readability of 0
setting
Dose 0
measuring
accuracy
Durability 0
Easy to +
Manufacture
Portability +
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Combine and Improve
The concept E has a negative value on measure acc
Criteria E
Easy of 0
Handling
Easy to use 0
Readability of +
setting
Dose -
measuring
accuracy
Durability 0
Easy to 0
Manufacture
Portability +
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Combine and Improve
The concept F has two negative evaluations
Criteria F
Easy of -
Handling
Easy to use +
Readability of 0
setting
Dose 0
measuring
accuracy
Durability +
Easy to -
Manufacture
Portability 0
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Combine and Improve

In order to maintain also the concept F it is necessary to

find some solutions in order to improve the “Easy to
Manufacture” and “Easy of Handling”

It has been decided to combine the solution F with the

feature of the concept D, that is already on the market
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – Combine and Improve
 CONCEPT Screening Example:
Reusable Syringe – final score
Criteria A B C D (Referance) E F G
Easy of Handling 0 0 - 0 0 - -
Easy to use 0 - - 0 0 + 0
Readability of setting 0 0 + 0 + 0 +
Dose measuring accuracy 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
Durability 0 0 0 0 0 + 0
Easy to Manufacture + - - 0 0 - 0
Portability + + 0 0 + 0 0
Sum + 2 1 1 0 2 2 1
Sum 0 5 4 3 7 4 3 5
Sum - 0 2 3 0 1 2 1
Net Score (n°+) - (n°-) 2 -1 -2 0 1 0 0
Rank 1 4 5 3 2 3 3
Continue ? Yes No No Com Yes Com No
 CONCEPT Scoring
Once decided which are the concept that have to be
quantitatively evaluated these are located in the scoring
matrix, using again the costumer needs employed in the
screening process
For each costumer need it is also introduced the relative
importance provided by the costumer during the focus
group at the beginning of the product development
process.
While in the screening process one only concept is
employed as reference, here it is possible to employ a
different reference for each need
 CONCEPT Scoring
Criteria A D+F E
Weight Rat Weight Rat Weight Rat Weight
Score Score Score
Easy of Handling 5%
Easy to use 15%
Readability of setting 10%
Dose measuring 25%
accuracy
Durability 15%
Easy to Manufacture 20%
Portability 10%
Total Score
Rank
 CONCEPT Scoring

In the rate column for each concept it is provided a score

in a scale from 1 to 5
Then this value is multiplied for the costumer need
relative importance, obtaining the weighted score
Adding all these weighted scores for each model it is
possible to obtain the Total score
 CONCEPT Scoring
Criteria A D+F E
Weight Rat Weight Rat Weight Rat Weight
Score Score Score
Easy of Handling 5% 3 0,15 3 0,15 4 0,2
Easy to use 15% 3 0,45 4 0,6 4 0,6
Readability of setting 10% 2 0,2 3 0,3 5 0,5
Dose measuring 25% 3 0,75 3 0,75 2 0,5
accuracy
Durability 15% 2 0,3 5 0,75 4 0,6
Easy to Manufacture 20% 3 0,6 3 0,6 2 0,4
Portability 10% 3 0,3 3 0,3 3 0,3
Total Score 2,75 3,45 3,10
Rank 3 1 2
 CONCEPT Scoring

In order to be sure that the choice made represents the

best solution, it is possible to modify weights and
evaluation in order to evaluate their effect on the
classification
Working with these variations it is possible to understand
if the evaluation uncertainty could significantly influence
the selection
 CONCEPT Scoring
Criteria A D+F E
Weight Rat Weight Rat Weight Rat Weight
Score Score Score
Easy of Handling 5% 3 0,15 3 0,15 4 0,2
Easy to use 15% 3 0,45 4 0,6 4 0,6
Readability of setting 10% 2 0,2 3 0,3 5 0,5
Dose measuring 25% 3 0,75 3 0,75 2 0,5
accuracy
Durability 15% 2 0,3 5 0,75 4 0,6
Easy to Manufacture 20% 3 0,6 3 0,6 2 0,4
Portability 10% 3 0,3 3 0,3 3 0,3
Total Score 2,75 3,45 3,10
Rank 3 1 2