VIENIDMY Sign in Start practicing

Home › Lessons › Production Management Planning Grade 3 生産管理プランニング (BC検定)

Product Planning and Design Management (Product Development, Design Procedure, DR, VE)

Production Management Planning Grade 3 生産管理プランニング (BC検定) · ビジネス・キャリア検定 生産管理プランニング3級 · Written by Tokutei Pass based on the official study texts; not copied verbatim.

1. Product Planning and Marketing (Market-In, SWOT Analysis, 4Ps, Consumer Goods vs Industrial Goods)

Approaches to planning new products include Product-Out, which starts from a company's own technology and manufacturing equipment (making what can be made and selling it), and Market-In, which starts from customer and market needs (planning and making what will sell); today, Market-In is fundamental.

Environmental analysis in product planning uses SWOT Analysis. Strategies are formulated by organizing four elements: the company's Internal Environment—Strengths and Weaknesses—and the External Environment such as markets and competitors—Opportunities and Threats.

Specific market deployment tactics (the Marketing Mix) consist of the 4Ps named after their initials: Product, Price, Place (distribution channels), and Promotion (sales promotion).

By use, products are classified into Consumer goods consumed by individuals or households (divided by buying behavior into Convenience goods bought daily, Shopping goods compared for quality and price, and Specialty goods bought by brand specification) and Industrial (producer) goods used by businesses for production (raw materials, parts, machine tools, etc.).

1. Product Planning and Marketing (Market-In, SWOT Analysis, 4Ps, Consumer Goods vs Industrial Goods)

Key points


  • Market-In = Customer-need-driven product development / Product-Out = Company-technology- and manufacturing-driven product development.

  • SWOT Analysis = Four-element analysis of Internal environment (Strengths S, Weaknesses W) and External environment (Opportunities O, Threats T).

  • Marketing 4Ps = Product, Price, Place (distribution channels), and Promotion (sales promotion).

  • Consumer goods are divided by purchasing behavior into Convenience, Shopping, and Specialty goods, while raw materials and equipment for businesses are called Industrial (producer) goods.
WordMeaning
Market-In and Product-Out
SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
4Ps of Marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion)
Consumer goods (Convenience, Shopping, Specialty goods) and Industrial goods

2. Importance of Design Management (80% of Cost Determined at Design), Front-Loading, and Standardization

In product development, it is said that approximately 80% of a product's quality and manufacturing cost is determined at the design stage. Once materials, shapes, part structures, and machining tolerances are fixed on drawings, shop-floor kaizen after mass production begins has limited room to reduce costs.

Moreover, if design defects are discovered in downstream development stages (prototyping or mass-production ramp-up), massive rework costs (such as remaking molds/dies) and delivery delays occur.

Therefore, companies emphasize Front-Loading: shifting and concentrating management resources—such as personnel and 3D computer simulations (CAE)—forward into upstream stages of early development (conceptual and basic design) to solve problems early.

Furthermore, to improve design efficiency, utilizing existing standard parts (parts commonality) and Modularization (grouping multiple parts into functional blocks) simultaneously shortens design lead times, stabilizes quality, and reduces costs.

Key points


  • About 80% of product cost is determined at the design stage, making upstream building-in of cost and quality most effective.

  • Front-Loading = Shifting workload and verification forward to early design (upstream processes) to prevent downstream design changes and rework.

  • Design standardization, parts commonality, and modularization reduce new drawing creation and die expenses while shortening development time.
WordMeaning
Building cost in at the design stage (80% of cost)
Front-loading and Rework prevention
Parts commonality and Modular design

3. Steps of Design (Product Planning → Design Planning → Conceptual Design → Detail Design → Production Preparation)

The design procedure from product development to mass production progresses step by step from conceptual design to substantive (physical) design. First, (1) Product planning surveys market needs to define the new product concept, followed by (2) Design planning, which compiles a plan specifying target performance, quality, cost, and development schedule.

Next, in (3) Conceptual design (basic design / functional design), engineers determine the basic structure, operating principles, overall system layout, and arrangement of major units (assembly concept drawings) to realize the required functions.

Subsequently, in (4) Detail design (production design / working design), based on the conceptual design and considering economical and easy manufacturing at the plant, engineers determine the specific shapes, dimensions, tolerances, materials, and surface roughness of each individual part, completing detail drawings, assembly drawings, and Bills of Materials (BOM).

Thereafter, performance and reliability are verified in (5) Prototyping and evaluation, followed by (6) Production preparation (process design, procuring equipment, dies, and jigs/tools, and creating work standards) before transitioning to mass production. Exams frequently test the sequence: Conceptual design (conceptual) → Detail design (substantive).

Key points


  • Basic design sequence: Product planning → Design planning → Conceptual design (basic design) → Detail design (production design) → Production preparation → Mass production.

  • Conceptual design = Conceptual design phase that determines principles, basic structure, and overall layout to satisfy required functions.

  • Detail design (production design) = Substantive design phase that considers manufacturability (machinability, assemblability) and cost to fix dimensions, tolerances, and materials for all parts (part drawings).
WordMeaning
Design planning, Conceptual design, Detail design (Production design)
Deployment from conceptual design to substantive (physical) design
Assembly drawings, Part drawings, Bill of Materials (BOM)

4. Design Review (DR: Inspection vs Walkthrough) and Concurrent Engineering

Design Review (DR) is a mechanism at key milestones of each stage—product planning, conceptual design, detail design, and prototyping—where specialists not only from design but also from manufacturing, production engineering, quality assurance, purchasing, and sales gather to review design contents multi-dimensionally and judge whether to proceed to the next stage.

Review methods include Inspection—which formally and rigorously detects defects and makes pass/fail judgments based on defined roles and checklists—and Walkthrough—where the designer explains the design steps to team members to jointly confirm errors and improvement points.

In the traditional relay method (conventional sequential method), production preparation (process design and die procurement) began only after all design work finished, causing long development periods and frequent design changes from downstream processes.

To reform this, Concurrent Engineering involves production engineering, manufacturing, and purchasing departments from the early stages of product design, sharing information and advancing product design and production preparation simultaneously in parallel—achieving dramatic reductions in development lead time.

4. Design Review (DR: Inspection vs Walkthrough) and Concurrent Engineering

Key points


  • Design Review (DR) = Activity at each design milestone where specialists from related departments objectively review Q, C, D, manufacturability, and safety.

  • Inspection = Rigorous formal review using defined roles and criteria / Walkthrough = Designer-led review explaining design contents to discover errors.

  • Concurrent Engineering = Advancing product design and production preparation (process design, die making) simultaneously in parallel to shorten development time and reduce rework.
WordMeaning
Design Review (DR)
Inspection and Walkthrough
Concurrent Engineering (Simultaneous parallel development)

5. Building QCD into Design (Substitute Characteristics, Cost Tables, Standard Design Schedule & Lead-Time Numbers, 3D CAD)

To secure Quality (Q) in design, abstract Required qualities expressed in customers' words (e.g., light and durable, runs quietly) are translated into technical numerical characteristics that designers can measure and control on drawings (mass in kg, tensile strength in MPa, noise level in dB, etc.). These are called Substitute characteristics (quality characteristics).

To secure Cost (C), Target cost (planned cost) is set by subtracting target profit from the planned selling price. A reference table allowing designers to immediately estimate approximate costs as soon as they select materials, processing methods, and dimensions is called a Cost Table, used to build cost in during design.

To secure Delivery (D), because delays in drawing release directly hit downstream die ordering and parts procurement, a Standard design schedule based on Lead-time numbers (days counted backward from product completion) is set, prioritizing early drawing release for long-lead-time parts.

As computer-aided technologies, 3D CAD (creating drawings and solid models), CAM (generating NC machining programs from CAD data), and CAE (pre-analyzing strength, heat, and fluid flow) are linked to reduce prototype iterations and improve design quality.

Key points


  • Substitute characteristics = Characteristics that translate customer Required quality (usability, etc.) into physical, technical values measurable in design and manufacturing (dimensions, strength, weight, etc.).

  • Cost Table = Data table enabling designers to easily compare and calculate costs by material, shape, and processing method.

  • Standard design schedule & Lead-time numbers = Scheduling criteria that release drawings sequentially starting from parts with long procurement and processing lead times.

  • Example: Expected selling price 10,000 yen, target profit margin on sales 20%, current estimated drifting cost 8,600 yen → Target cost = 10,000 × (1 - 0.20) = 8,000 yen, required cost reduction at design stage = 8,600 - 8,000 = 600 yen
WordMeaning
Required quality and Substitute characteristics (Quality Function Deployment: QFD)
Target costing and Cost Table
Standard design schedule, Lead-time numbers, Drawing release control
3D CAD, CAM, CAE

6. Fundamental Theory of VE (Value Engineering) and the Value Formula (V = F ÷ C)

VE (Value Engineering) is defined as an organized effort directed at analyzing the functions of products and services to reliably achieve the required functions at the lowest Life Cycle Cost (LCC: total cost covering not only manufacturing cost but also usage, maintenance, and disposal).

Whereas simple cost-cutting is an object-centered approach (making an existing part's shape cheaper, which easily degrades quality), VE's greatest feature is its function-centered and customer-oriented thinking: asking what work (function) that part performs.

In VE, the Value (V) of a product is expressed as the ratio of the magnitude of function or functional worth (Function: F) performed by the product to the Cost (C) expended to obtain it: the formula V = F ÷ C.

Accordingly, there are four patterns to increase Value V: (1) Maintain Function F and reduce Cost C (F→, C↓); (2) Maintain Cost C and improve Function F (F↑, C→); (3) Improve Function F while reducing Cost C (F↑, C↓); and (4) Slightly increase Cost C while dramatically improving Function F (F↑↑, C↑).

Key points


  • Definition of VE = Organized functional study to reliably achieve the functions required by customers at the lowest Life Cycle Cost (LCC).

  • Value formula: Value (V) = Function (F) ÷ Cost (C). Simple cost reduction by degrading quality is not VE.

  • Four forms of value improvement: (1) Maintain F & lower C, (2) Raise F & maintain C, (3) Raise F & lower C, (4) Slightly raise C & greatly raise F.

  • Example: From a current item with functional worth F = 800 yen and actual cost C = 1,000 yen, an improvement plan achieves function F = 960 yen and cost C = 800 yen → Current value V = 800 ÷ 1,000 = 0.80, improved value V = 960 ÷ 800 = 1.20 (value improves by 1.20 ÷ 0.80 = 1.5 times)
WordMeaning
VE (Value Engineering)
Value (V) = Function (F) ÷ Cost (C)
Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Customer orientation

7. Classification of Functions in VE (Use Value vs Esteem Value, Basic Function vs Secondary Function)

Functions analyzed in VE (the work a product or part should perform) are divided into two types by the nature of value they provide to customers: Use Function (Use Value) and Aesthetic/Attractive Function (Esteem Value).

Use Value is the value of practical utility when actually using a product (e.g., a watch's 'indicate time' or paint's 'prevent rust'). Esteem Value is the value giving pride of ownership through exterior beauty or luxury (e.g., a jewelry watch's 'enhance prestige').

Functions are also classified by role importance (purpose-means relationship) into Basic Function and Secondary Function. A Basic Function is the primary, direct purpose for which the product exists (e.g., an incandescent bulb's 'emit light').

A Secondary Function is an auxiliary function accompanying as a means to realize the basic function (e.g., a bulb's 'conduct electricity to filament' or 'block air'). When defining a function, it is expressed concisely in two words—Noun + Verb (e.g., 'conduct current', 'transmit torque')—so anyone can grasp its essence.

Key points


  • Use Value = Value producing practical utility and work / Esteem Value = Value enhancing buying desire and satisfaction through aesthetics, design, or status.

  • Basic Function = Primary purpose function for which the product/part exists / Secondary Function = Auxiliary or means function to achieve the basic function.

  • Function definition rule: Express in two words as 'Noun + Verb' to raise the level of abstraction and facilitate brainstorming alternatives.
WordMeaning
Use Value (Use function) and Esteem Value (Attractive function)
Basic function and Secondary function (Required vs Unnecessary function)
Function definition using 'Noun + Verb'

8. VE Implementation Steps (Function Definition → Function Evaluation → Alternative Creation) and Purchasing VE

The VE Job Plan (implementation procedure) proceeds sequentially through three major basic steps: (1) Function Definition → (2) Function Evaluation → (3) Alternative Creation (10 to 12 detailed steps).

In the first step, (1) Function Definition, the team selects a VE subject, gathers information, defines component functions as 'Noun + Verb', and creates a Function Family Tree (FAST diagram) systematically organized by logical Purpose–Means relationships (higher-order function ← lower-order function).

In the second step, (2) Function Evaluation, the team analyzes how much current cost C each function on the tree incurs (cost analysis by function) and compares it with the Functional Worth F (minimum cost to achieve that function) to select low-value functions (where C is too high) for improvement.

In the third step, (3) Alternative Creation, the team brainstorms many ideas asking 'how else can this function be performed?', then conducts preliminary evaluation, concretization, and detailed evaluation (verifying technical and economic feasibility) before submitting proposals. Joint VE conducted with suppliers utilizing their specialized technology for outsourced/purchased parts is called Purchasing VE (Supplier VE).

Key points


  • Order of the 3 basic VE steps: (1) Function Definition (creating the function family tree) → (2) Function Evaluation (comparing cost by function vs functional worth) → (3) Alternative Creation (ideation, concretization, detailed evaluation).

  • Function Family Tree = Diagram arranging defined functions by the logic of Purpose (left side: Why?) — Means (right side: How?).

  • Purchasing VE = VE activity targeting purchased and outsourced parts by incorporating suppliers' proprietary technologies and proposals.

  • Example: Current cost C of a functional area = 450 yen, target minimum cost to achieve that function (functional worth F) = 360 yen → Value index V = 360 ÷ 450 = 0.80 (target for improvement since < 1.0), theoretical cost reduction potential = 450 - 360 = 90 yen
WordMeaning
Basic VE steps (Function Definition → Function Evaluation → Alternative Creation)
Function Family Tree (Systematizing purpose and means)
Purchasing VE (Supplier VE / Second-generation VE)

Frequent Exam Points and How to Remember Them

In Chapter 2 (Questions 5 to 8), Question 5 first tests Market-In (customer-need-driven) vs Product-Out, SWOT Analysis's Internal environment (Strengths, Weaknesses) vs External environment (Opportunities, Threats), and the 4Ps.

In Questions 6 to 7 on design management, sequence questions on Product planning → Design planning → Conceptual design (conceptual) → Detail design (substantive) → Production preparation and the following keyword definitions are exam staples: Substitute characteristics = translating required quality into technical design characteristics; Cost table = table allowing designers to immediately estimate costs from materials and processing methods; Concurrent Engineering = parallelizing design and production preparation.

Also, distinguishing between formal, rigorous Inspection and designer-led Walkthrough in Design Review (DR) is frequently tested.

In Question 8 on VE, memorize: (1) Value formula V = F ÷ C; (2) Use Value (practical work) vs Esteem Value (aesthetics/appeal) and Basic Function (primary purpose) vs Secondary Function (means); and (3) the basic step sequence: Function Definition → Function Evaluation → Alternative Creation.

Key points


  • Design sequence: Product planning → Design planning → Conceptual design (basic / conceptual) → Detail design (production / substantive) → Production preparation.

  • Design keywords: Substitute characteristics (numerical translation of required quality), Cost table (design-stage cost estimation table), Front-loading, Concurrent Engineering.

  • Iron rules of VE: V = F ÷ C, define functions as 'Noun + Verb', sequence is (1) Function Definition (function family tree) → (2) Function Evaluation → (3) Alternative Creation.
WordMeaning
Conceptual design, Detail design, and Substitute characteristics
Concurrent Engineering and Design Review (DR)
Three steps of VE and Function classification

Product Planning & Design Management (DR, VE)

Practice this chapter in the app

Official references

Zalo