Methodological Competence for Engineers

To remain competitive in the market, companies depend on their ability to offer fast and innovative solutions. While employees have the technical expertise needed to solve problems, they often lack the methodological competence required to apply their knowledge effectively. This book presents 20 effective problem-solving methods that can be used in manufacturing companies—whether in product development and design, production, or customer service. It is aimed primarily at practitioners, but is also suitable for students in engineering and business-related degree programs. The book provides systematic solution strategies for all phases of the product development process—from decision-making and idea generation to problem analysis, quality management, and process and production planning. It distinguishes between information, invention, discovery, decision-making, cost, and quality problems. The following methods are presented: Fault Tree Analysis, Value at Risk, House of Quality, FMEA, Method 635, Morphological Box, TRIZ, Design for X, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Target Costing, Utility Analysis, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, Delphi method, Business Model Canvas, Kano model, SWOT analysis, Total Cost of Ownership, Six Sigma, 5S, and Single-Minute Exchange of Die. The aim of the book is to guide readers directly to the method best suited to their problem with the help of a decision matrix. For this reason, each method is evaluated based on specific categories and requirements, including the intended area of application, the required prior knowledge, and the time, cost, and documentation effort involved. After a brief definition and description of the method’s objective, the prerequisites for successful application are specified. The procedure is then explained step by step. A practical example rounds out each presentation.