Open AccessTHE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS - DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM: “TAKE TIME TO DEFINE” WITH CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY
Author(s) -
Scott A.C. Flemming,
Clifton R. Johnston
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
proceedings of the ... ceea conference
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2371-5243
DOI - 10.24908/pceea.vi0.13728
Subject(s) - engineering design process , process (computing) , empathy , perspective (graphical) , management science , computer science , work (physics) , work in process , engineering ethics , engineering , psychology , artificial intelligence , operations management , mechanical engineering , psychiatry , operating system
In previous work [1] it was argued that turning attention from the act of problem solving to the act of problem defining has several benefits for engineering students and practitioners alike. Such benefits include developing and refining student’s empathy and critical thinking skills inside the engineering discipline. The practical question then becomes how to teach and practice the process of defining the problem well. The following paper is a literature review of the current state of problem definition within engineering design research and how problem diagnosis can be taught and practiced by engineers. Two significant insights emerge from this review: (1) traditional engineering design literature does not suggest processes for defining problems; and (2) the authors consider "Contextual Inquiry" the most promising tool for problem diagnosis from an Industrial Engineering perspective.