Product architecture :
Product architecture a product can be thought of in both functional and physical terms.
the functional elements of a product are the individual operations and transformations that contribute to the overall performance of the product.
for a printer – “store paper”, “communicate with host computer” etc.
Product architecture :
Product architecture The physical elements of a product are the parts, components and subassemblies that ultimately implement the product’s functions.
The physical elements of a product are typically organized into several major physical building blocks called chunks.
Each chunk is then made up of a collection of components that implement the functions of the product.
Product architecture :
The architecture of a product is the scheme by which the functional elements of the product are arranged into physical chunks and by which the chunks interact. Product architecture
Implications of the architecture :
Implications of the architecture Decisions about how to divide the product into chunks and about how much modularity to impose on the architecture are tightly linked to several issues:
Product change
Product variety
Component standardization
Product performance
Manufacturability
Product development management
Establishing the architecture: A four-step method :
Establishing the architecture: A four-step method Create a schematic of the product
Cluster the elements of the schematic.
Create a rough geometric layout.
Identify the fundamental and incidental interactions.