From Customer Inquiry to a Verifiable Engineering Solution
From Customer Requirements to a Verifiable Engineering Solution
A project often starts with a brief request: “We want a strong structure, a clean design, and easy assembly.” Sketches, visualizations, material selection, and detailed design follow. Along the way, changes emerge—a slightly lower seat, a different fastening method, fewer welds, or the option to dismantle the product.
Each of these requests needs to carry through to the finished product. This requires a clear connection between what the customer asked for, the design solution, and how we will verify the result.
This connection is called requirements traceability.
“Easy assembly,” for example, is a useful starting point, but it is not yet a sufficiently specific requirement. We need to establish who will assemble the product, which tools they will use, under what conditions, and whether repeated disassembly will be necessary. We can then define verifiable criteria: the permitted number of fasteners, the required tool, access to the screws, and a target assembly time.
The same applies to words such as “strong,” “lightweight,” and “comfortable.” Each needs to be translated into technical requirements suited to the product’s intended use.
Consider a hypothetical metal chair. The customer approves its appearance and asks for the seat to be attached to four mounting plates, without an additional supporting frame. This decision creates several related requirements:
| Requirement | Design solution | Verification method |
|---|---|---|
| Four seat support points | Four mounting plates attached to the tubular structure | Check their number and positions in the CAD model |
| A common support plane across the plates | Defined positions and permissible deviations | Check the geometry and measure the manufactured frame |
| Accessible screws for assembly | Sufficient clearance for fasteners and tools | Check the model and carry out a trial assembly |
| Preservation of the approved seat height | Plate positions coordinated with seat thickness | Check the overall dimension |
Each requirement now has a specific place in the design and its own verification method. Approval of a visualization confirms the chosen design direction. Dimensions, assembly, and performance under load require their own checks.
The next challenge comes when something changes.
Suppose we need to reposition the mounting plates. On screen, this may look like a minor adjustment. In the actual structure, however, it could affect seat height, hole positions, tool access, welding access, and the assembly sequence.
Before applying the change, we need to identify the dependencies it affects. We then update the related parts and drawings and repeat the necessary checks. Previously approved dimensions and solutions remain the reference point. If the change requires a departure from them, that departure must be explicitly documented and agreed upon.
For a small project, this approach can start with a simple spreadsheet. Useful fields include the requirement ID, description, source, affected part, verification method, result, and revision. The status should also be visible—proposed, approved, implemented, or verified. “Implemented in the model” and “verified on a prototype” are different stages.
For more complex development work, specialized systems maintain these connections across multiple contributors and documents. Siemens Polarion, for example, links requirements to verification activities and results and supports change impact analysis. The underlying principle also applies to smaller projects: each requirement should lead to a solution and to evidence that it has been met.
AI can help prepare requirements lists, compare versions, and identify potential omissions. An engineer must confirm whether the proposed list is complete and whether the verification methods are appropriate. An automatically assigned “complete” status has no value without supporting evidence—a measurement, calculation, review, or test.
At BIB-CAD, this approach is part of designing with manufacturing in mind. We consider materials, joints, assembly, and production constraints from the concept stage. At every subsequent step, we maintain the connection to the approved brief.
The customer should be able to understand what has been developed, why a particular solution was chosen, and how it was verified. This clarity helps turn an idea into a product that can be manufactured, assembled, and used as intended.
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