ABSTRACT
System synthesis has traditionally been considered the domain of the design engineer as distinct from the systems engineer. Quality function deployment (QFD) transforms customer needs into design characteristics and prioritizes the needs based on customer importance. The importance of the trade-off study is that it is the key step which allows the designer to find the best solution for both the aircraft and its subsystems. Top-level trade-offs will be complete before the system design review so that a top-level design concept can be presented which meets the top-level requirements. QFD can be applied at any level of DAC or customer operation, including design, development, manufacturing, training, operation, maintenance, and service. The last real step in the synthesis process is preliminary design. The name may be somewhat misleading because the design is, in fact, final. The only aspect of the design not done is the detail drawings.
