ABSTRACT
Design Review (DR) as a program falls under the broader heading of configuration control. This term covers all management tasks concerned with product development. Design management is at the heart of configuration control, since it is designers who drive the new product project. DR and design management are closely intertwined. Any discussion of configuration control techniques should include DR. It brings together the company’s knowledge and skills to initiate, evaluate, improve, and approve product development or other projects. Product development starts with identification of target users and their needs and then applies staff employee-hours to translate those needs into product functions. Standardization is an essential support element of both product development and DR. Design quality and efficiency flow not only from the designer’s skill and creativity but also from well-defined standards and other guidelines. Any changes to standards specification manuals, whether in-house or external, require an engineering change proposal form to be submitted for management review and approval.
