PROJ — The cross-cutting project method

The core of the hub. The PROJ domain carries the project method from end to end: functional analysis, planning, concept trade-off, build and review. For the five phases in chronological order, see the project path. This index lists the pages by family of tools.

The framework pages

The five phases of the V-model, plus the three cross-cutting threads that run from the start of the project to the end.

• Technical specification — turn a need into measurable requirements
• Concept — choose an architecture and size it roughly
• Proof of concept — resolve the technical unknowns before detailed design
• Technical design file — produce the documents that make manufacturing possible
• Integration and testing — assemble, qualify, close the project
• Project planning and tracking (cross-cutting) — plan, track, lead the team
• Eco-design (cross-cutting) — keep the environmental footprint under control through the choices made
• Safety and quality (cross-cutting) — risks, compliance, quality of deliverables

Functional analysis

The chain that expresses the need, from the initial brainstorming to the cahier des charges, the French functional requirements specification.

• Mechatronics — the perception → decision → action loop that defines the field
• Mind map — cast a wide net over the surrounding environments and constraints, early on
• Bête à cornes — the French “horned beast” need-statement diagram: for whom, on what, to what end
• Pieuvre — the French “octopus” diagram: list the functions against the surrounding environments
• Function — the FP / FS / FC typology, for main, secondary and constraint functions
• Characterising a requirement — the criterion / level / flexibility triplet
• Technical state of the art — map the solutions that already exist
• Cahier des charges fonctionnel — the document that formalises the spec
• NF X50-151 standard — the normative framework of functional analysis

Planning and tracking

The tools that anchor the project in time and keep watch on its risks.

• WBS — break the work down into work packages
• Milestones — set the control points of the project
• Backward planning — plan backwards from the deadline
• Gantt — lay the tasks out over time
• Risk matrix — identify and rate the hazards of the project

Concept and trade-off

Break a function down, explore the solutions, decide.

• Functional breakdown — split the system into technical functions
• FAST — link functions and solutions through the why / how chain
• Decision matrix — compare the candidates against weighted criteria
• Eco-criteria matrix — bring the environment into the trade-off
• Écodesign — the French design-discipline sense of the word, and how it differs from eco-design

Build and review

The artefacts that give shape to the design and to its dependability.

• BOM (bill of materials) — consolidate the components and the budget
• AMDEC — the French acronym for FMEA: analyse product failures and their criticality
• Simplified LCA — assess the environmental impact over the life cycle