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  • Hello,

    I started this thread because I really want to hear from older engineers, especially those who've done product development (mechanical, electromechanical, mechatronics, electrical), and software development.

    On any given day, I have a great deal of technical & socially-based ideas for products, services, etc. But I have no real system for evaluation or moving forward. I want to learn more about how to evaluate and execute an idea. Does having discipline / structure, both at work and on the side help you to move forward? How do you record & return to ideas? Test the waters? Develop a proof of concept or even a conceptual model? Involve / rope in others (or know when to reveal and pull in other people) ?

    I've divided idea generation > execution into some stages:

    - Initial thought / recording
    - Evaluation / discussion (allow others to poke holes)
    - Concurrent research (scope / necessary 'pieces' to be identified, understood and potentially resolved)
    - Rough 'working' concept > this could be physical or a mental / graphic picture of the working parts
    - Evaluation / discussion
    - Improved working concept
    - Field test
    - Execution

    What sorts of problem solving 'systems' exist out there that can help move along personal projects? I work in a support/applications role at work, so I don't really get much time to think about the design process.

    Many thanks for replies!
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • Nov 13, 2011

    Wow! I'm glad someone asked this. I think I can answer your question partly and leave the rest for the senior engineers here.

    On any given day, I have a great deal of technical & socially-based ideas for products, services, etc. But I have no real system for evaluation or moving forward. I want to learn more about how to evaluate and execute an idea. Does having discipline / structure, both at work and on the side help you to move forward? How do you record & return to ideas? Test the waters? Develop a proof of concept or even a conceptual model? Involve / rope in others (or know when to reveal and pull in other people) ?
    The approach that has worked wonders for me is to have a very clear idea about the expected outcome. The evaluation process would begin only after I've a prototype ready with my basic assumptions. Most of the times, it turns out that the project starts giving you newer ideas and knowledge of the system only when it's at the prototype level. It's quite tempting to get trapped into the levels 2-6 of the flow you've mentioned. I'm not quite experienced about designing/developing mechanical systems, but have worked on software systems from ground up. It often helps to setup a personal roadmap for the project which helps in better management of any project.

    Working on smaller projects from start to end has worked well for me; never thought about problem solving mechanisms you want to know about.
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