Assessing the Usefulness of a Taxonomy of Design Requirements for Manufacturing

An assessment of the usefulness of a taxonomy of design requirements for manufacture is presented. The taxonomy describes the various issues that manufacturing imposes on the design of a product. The requirements themselves can be entered into this taxonomy at the appropriate level. The usefulness of this taxonomy is shown experimentally to determine whether the benefits of using it are worth the work it necessitates. The three-level taxonomy is relatively complete, perceptually orthogonal, and consistent in its level of abstractness. All of these factors constitute a sound taxonomy. Use of the taxonomy led to a greater number of requirements which were, overall, much more useful to the development of a quality product.