6 steps in Design Engineering

Hey everybody, since entering F1 in schools, i've received multiple questions regarding the engineering process being this my 3rd year as the design engineer and going through this process never gets old as we always discover something new to improve and learn from.

This something that has been constantly thrown at me since day 1 and is actually extremely important not just in engineering but in our everyday lives. I am not talking about the process of making the car, saving that for later. This is the process of every engineering project that is vital for achieving the optimum results later. So here it goes.

1st : Benchmarking

This otherwise known as identifying a problem. Engineering is the practical application of knowledge to solve a problem but when you dont know the problem, how exactly are you supposed to solve it? Easy, just benchmark. Obviously youre not the first person in the world to experience the problem and if you are congrats but the majority of problems in the world have had attempts to solve them. Its your job to figure out what and how it went wrong.

2nd : Research

Now that you know what went wrong. Figure out how youre gonna solve it. Basically almost everything in the world has a formula that you could use for each problem. Its like maths except those numbers have a story behind them. So find the variables , tweak em and fix the problem.

3rd: Designing the Solution

Now that you know how to fix your problem and the variables that you need tweak, all you need to do is design a perfect solution which is impossible. Often however you will find that some variables cant be changed and theyre stuck like that which is why you'll need to compromise. Not everything in life will really have solutions and honestly some things cant change. So make the best of it and try to reduce the problem to fit yoyr objective

4th : Testing

TEST YOUR SOLUTIONS. Sometimes you think you have it all figured out only for it to blow up in your face. We can get tunnel vision and very protective of what believe would be the perfect solutions so its important to keep an open mind. Twst your solutions using a variety of methods and leave no stone unturbed. Find people willing to have a look and give a second opinion.

5th : Verfication and Validation

Analyse your test results and see if it fits into your design. Validate your test results with your objective and verify that it fits into your comprimise. If it doesnt meet any objective and is beyond fixable then revisit steps 2,3 and 4

6th: Final Alterations

Now fix up any small mistakes or problems found during testing.