ABSTRACT
The design specification is the starting point for all design work; it should lay down the basic parameters of performance and cost. It needs the utmost thoroughness in its preparation; if the specification is flawed in some way, everything else that springs from it will have that flaw built in. In the first case the market is assured as the design specification springs directly from the customer; it is for the contractor to create a product that will meet the requirement. Mention has already been made of the fact that Japanese design and manufacturing techniques have resulted in products with a level of quality and reliability that is often superior to their Western counterparts, particularly in the field of motor cars where surveys of car owners regularly confirm this fact. Design reviews may be called by the sponsoring organisation in an externally funded project or by the technical director or project manager in a private project.
