YKT,
You've already gotten some excellent replies, but here's mine anyway:
Design and Development Review
Design review is something we do periodically during the design process to make sure we’re on track. Is everything going as planned? Have any problems come up? Do we need to do something differently? The whole point of design review is to identify and remove roadblocks to successful design.
During design planning, we identified the various stages of the design. As part of this, we should have also determined the number and timing of the design reviews. Every design will have at least one design review, and complex or troublesome designs may require many more.
People involved in design reviews must include the representatives from functions involved in that stage of the design. So, excluding a key player for the sake of convenience would be a problem. When conducting design reviews, make sure you’re including the appropriate people.
Finally, design reviews always produce records. The record will indicate the results of the reviews and any necessary actions the design team decided to take. Design reviews could take the form of meeting minutes, memos, design files, emails, or other records.
Design and Development Verification
Verification is where we compare the outputs against the inputs. Does the available evidence indicate that the design will meet our requirements? The verification could consist of calculations, simulations, prototype evaluation, lab tests, comparison against samples, first article inspection, or other methods. You must maintain records of design verification, and these will indicate the results of verifications and any actions necessary.
Design and Development Validation
Validation is similar to verification, except this time we’re actually checking the designed product under conditions of actual use. So, if we’re designing dune buggies, we might take our creation for a spin on the beach. If we’re making beverages, we might conduct consumer taste tests. Verification is theoretical, but validation is the real world.
We’re required to conduct validation prior to delivery or implementation, if possible. Records of validation must be maintained.
Good luck,
CC
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Craig Cochran
Center for International Standards & Quality
Georgia Institute of Technology
[email protected]