# PROCESS PURPOSE
The purpose is to establish a Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design, comprising static and (Dynamic aspects = Time dependent physical aspects of system/components, e.g., thermal aspects, deformation, motion, vibration, fluid mechanics.), consistent with the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Requirements and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Requirements, and to analyze the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design against defined criteria.
# PROCESS OUTCOMES
O1
The Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) are designed including static and (Dynamic aspects = Time dependent physical aspects of system/components, e.g., thermal aspects, deformation, motion, vibration, fluid mechanics.).
O2
The Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design are analyzed against defined criteria and (Special Characteristics = Special Characteristics are e.g.:
Significant characteristics having a high impact on designed function and on customer satisfaction.
Critical characteristics having a high impact on safety and/or legal aspects of the designed function.
Note: A proper method to identify and rate special characteristics is a D-FMEA.
Further details can be found in
IATF 16949:2016
VDA 4
) are identified.
O3 (Consistency = Consistency addresses content and semantics and ensures that Information items are not in contradiction to each other.
Consistency is supported by bidirectional traceability.
See also chapter D.3.) and bidirectional (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) are established between the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Requirements.
O4 (Consistency = Consistency addresses content and semantics and ensures that Information items are not in contradiction to each other.
Consistency is supported by bidirectional traceability.
See also chapter D.3.) and bidirectional (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) are established between the Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design and Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and/or Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Requirements.
O5
The Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and the Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design are agreed and communicated to all affected parties.
# BASE PRACTICES
BP1
Specify static aspects of the Mechanical System and Mechanical Component. (
O1 )
Specify and document the a) static structure of the (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.) of the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.), including their interfaces, and their relationships b) (Static aspects = Time independent physical aspects of elements over required lifetime, e.g., transmission ratio, weight, mass, geometry.) of each Mechanical (System element = System elements can be:
Logical and structural objects at the architectural and design level. System elements can be further decomposed into more fine-grained system elements of the architecture or design across appropriate hierarchical levels.
Physical representations of these objects, or a combination, e.g., peripherals, sensors, actuators, mechanical parts, software executables.
) with respect to the functional and non-functional Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Requirements and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Requirements, including external interfaces. Document the rationale behind the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design decisions.
Note 1: The Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) is decomposed into (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.) across appropriate hierarchical levels down to the Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) (the (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.) on the lowest level of the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture) that are described in the Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design. Note 2: Examples of a design rationale can be implied by the reuse of a standard product kit, product platform, or product line, respectively, or by a make-or-buy decision, or found in an evolutionary way (e.g. set-based design). Note 3: (Model-based development = Development which is based on models (e.g., analytical, numerical) that represent the reality of the respective elements in a sufficient way and that are used for sizing, design, simulation, optimization, and validation.
Note: Simulation results should be verified by tests of physical elements.) (e.g., FEM, SysML) may facilitate the collaboration of the different engineering domains. Note 4: Design for Manufacturing and Design for Assembly may be used to ensure manufacturability. Note 5: (Static aspects = Time independent physical aspects of elements over required lifetime, e.g., transmission ratio, weight, mass, geometry.) are determined by e.g. mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) structure. Note 6: Non- (Functional requirement = A statement that identifies what a product or process must accomplish to produce required behavior and/or results.) may include e.g., price per unit, maintenance, logistics, packaging, size, weight, manufacturability, environmental constraints, design guidelines, modelling guidelines, failure times.
BP2
Specify dynamic aspects of the Mechanical System and Mechanical Component. (
O1 )
Specify and document the (Dynamic aspects = Time dependent physical aspects of system/components, e.g., thermal aspects, deformation, motion, vibration, fluid mechanics.) of the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) with respect to the functional and non-functional Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Requirements, including the behavior of the Mechanical (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.) and their (Interaction = Interaction occurs between elements of the respective system or between elements of the respective system and the Operating Environment.) in the different modes.
Note 7: (Dynamic aspects = Time dependent physical aspects of system/components, e.g., thermal aspects, deformation, motion, vibration, fluid mechanics.) are determined by e.g., natural frequencies, stress, force, pressure, strain, temperature, NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness), operating modes (open, closed, in motion, misuse, emergency, etc.).
BP3
Analyze the Mechanical System Architecture and Mechanical Component Design. (
O2 )
Analyze the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design regarding relevant technical aspects and related to the Product Lifecycle to support project estimates. Identify and document (Special Characteristics = Special Characteristics are e.g.:
Significant characteristics having a high impact on designed function and on customer satisfaction.
Critical characteristics having a high impact on safety and/or legal aspects of the designed function.
Note: A proper method to identify and rate special characteristics is a D-FMEA.
Further details can be found in
IATF 16949:2016
VDA 4
). Document the rationales for the architectural and design decisions.
Note 8: Analysis criteria shall be defined. Analysis criteria may include quality characteristics (cost, weight, packaging, modularity, maintainability, expandability, scalability, reliability, safety and usability) and results of a make-buy-reuse analysis. Note 9: Analysis of the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design supports project feasibility analysis (MAN.3 BP3) and project estimates (MAN.3.BP5). Note 10: The analysis may include the suitability of pre-existing Mechanical (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.) for the current application. Note 11: Examples for Product Lifecycle Phases are (Production = Production is defined as component manufacturing or system assembly or the combination of both.), maintenance & repair, decommissioning. Note 12: Examples for technical aspects are manufacturability, suitability of pre-existing (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.) to be reused, or availability of (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.). Note 13: Examples of methods suitable for analyzing technical aspects are FMEA, prototypes, simulations, qualitative analyses. The simulation methods could be FEM, CFD. Note 14: The identification of (Special Characteristics = Special Characteristics are e.g.:
Significant characteristics having a high impact on designed function and on customer satisfaction.
Critical characteristics having a high impact on safety and/or legal aspects of the designed function.
Note: A proper method to identify and rate special characteristics is a D-FMEA.
Further details can be found in
IATF 16949:2016
VDA 4
) is supported by e.g., simulation, risk analyses, sizing calculations. Note 15: Design rationales can include arguments such as proven-in-use, a make-or-buy decision, or found in an evolutionary way.
BP4
Consider, determine, and document Design Constraints. (
O1 )
Determine and document (Design Constraints = Limits which must be considered when designing elements.
Examples: packaging, costs, etc.) for all Mechanical (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.) and take them into account for creating the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design.
Note 16: (Design Constraints = Limits which must be considered when designing elements.
Examples: packaging, costs, etc.) can be e.g., design guidelines, materials, manufacturing processes.
1. Ensure (Consistency = Consistency addresses content and semantics and ensures that Information items are not in contradiction to each other.
Consistency is supported by bidirectional traceability.
See also chapter D.3.) and establish bidirectional (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) between the (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.) of the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Requirements. 2. Ensure (Consistency = Consistency addresses content and semantics and ensures that Information items are not in contradiction to each other.
Consistency is supported by bidirectional traceability.
See also chapter D.3.) and establish bidirectional (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) between the Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design and the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture. 3. Ensure (Consistency = Consistency addresses content and semantics and ensures that Information items are not in contradiction to each other.
Consistency is supported by bidirectional traceability.
See also chapter D.3.) and establish bidirectional (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) between the Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Requirements.
Note 17: Redundancy should be avoided by establishing a combination of the approaches BP4.2 and BP4.3 that covers the project and the organizational needs. Note 18: Bidirectional (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) supports (Consistency = Consistency addresses content and semantics and ensures that Information items are not in contradiction to each other.
Consistency is supported by bidirectional traceability.
See also chapter D.3.) and facilitates impact analyses of change requests, and demonstration of (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) (Coverage = There are:
all objects
relevant objects
mapped objects
Coverage is a measure used to describe the ratio of mapped objects to relevant objects for a specific purpose.
For instance:
Requirements coverage: ratio of mapped system requirements versus relevant system requirements
Dimensional test coverage: ratio of tested dimensions versus total numbers of dimensions
Elements test coverage: degree of tested elements versus all created elements
Verification coverage for critical characteristics: ratio of tested or verified (e.g. production process capability – CpK) critical characteristics based on control plan
). Note 19: (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) alone, e.g., the existence of links, does not necessarily mean that the information is consistent with each other.
Linked Knowledge Nuggets: arrow_forward "Consistency vs. Traceability – What’s the Difference?"
personAuthor: Process Fellows
Consistency ensures that related content doesn’t contradict itself – e.g., requirements align with architecture and test. Traceability, in contrast, is about links: can you follow a requirement through to implementation and verification? Both are needed – consistency builds trust, traceability enables control. Typically, traceability strongly supports consistency review.
arrow_forward "The role of traceability in risk control"
personAuthor: Process Fellows
Traceability isn’t just about completeness — it’s about managing impact. When a requirement changes, trace links tell you what’s affected. That’s your early-warning system.
arrow_forward "The true benefit of traceability
"
personAuthor: Process Fellows
Sometimes the creation of traceability is seen as an additional expense, the benefits are not recognized.
Traceability should be set up at the same time as the derived elements are created. Both work products are open in front of us and the creation of the trace often only takes a few moments.
In the aftermath, the effort increases noticeably and the risk of gaps is high.
If the traceability is complete and consistent, the discovery of dependencies is unbeatably fast and reliable compared to searching for dependencies at a later stage, when there may also be time pressure.
It also enables proof of complete coverage of the derived elements and allows the complete consistency check.
BP6
Communicate agreed Mechanical System Architecture and agreed Mechanical Component Design. (
O5 )
Communicate the agreed Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and the agreed Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design to all affected parties, including the (Special Characteristics = Special Characteristics are e.g.:
Significant characteristics having a high impact on designed function and on customer satisfaction.
Critical characteristics having a high impact on safety and/or legal aspects of the designed function.
Note: A proper method to identify and rate special characteristics is a D-FMEA.
Further details can be found in
IATF 16949:2016
VDA 4
) and updates to the Mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) Architecture and Mechanical (Component = Components (physical or virtual) are the lowest level elements of the mechanical architecture for which the component design is further defined.) Design.
# OUTPUT INFORMATION ITEMS
15-51
Analysis Results (
O2 )
Identification of the object under analysis
The analysis criteria used, e.g.,
selection criteria or prioritization scheme used
decision criteria
quality criteria
The analysis results, e.g.,
what was decided/selected
reason for the selection
assumptions made
potential negative impact
Aspects of the analysis may include:
correctness
understandability
verifiability
feasibility
validity
Used by these processes:
MEE.1 Mechanical Requirements Analysis
MEE.2 Mechanical Architecture and Design
13-52
Communication Evidence (
O5 )
All forms of interpersonal communication such as
emails, also automatically generated ones
tool-supported workflows
meeting, verbally or via meeting minutes (e.g. daily standups)
podcasts
blogs
videos
forums
live chats
wikis
photo protocols
Used by these processes:
MEE.1 Mechanical Requirements Analysis
MEE.2 Mechanical Architecture and Design
MEE.3 Mechanical Component Sample Production
MEE.4 Mechanical Integration and Verification against Mechanical Architecture and Design
MEE.5 Verification against Mechanical Requirements
Used by these process attributes:
PA2.1 Performance Management
13-51
Consistency Evidence (
O3, O4 )
Demonstrates bidirectional (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) between artifacts or information in artifacts, throughout all phases of the life cycle, by e.g.
tool links
hyperlinks
editorial references
naming conventions
Evidence that the content of the referenced or mapped information coheres semantically along the (Traceability = Traceability refers to the existence of references or links between Information items.
Traceability supports coverage analysis, impact analysis, requirements implementation status tracking etc.
See also chapter D.3.) chain, e.g. by
performing pair or group work
performing peer reviews, e.g. spot checks
maintaining revision histories in documents
providing change commenting (via e.g. meta-information) of database or repository entries
This evidence can be accompanied by e.g. Definition of Done (DoD) approaches
Used by these processes:
MEE.1 Mechanical Requirements Analysis
MEE.2 Mechanical Architecture and Design
MEE.3 Mechanical Component Sample Production
MEE.4 Mechanical Integration and Verification against Mechanical Architecture and Design
MEE.5 Verification against Mechanical Requirements
04-ME02
Mechanical Component Design (
O1 )
Provides detailed design (could be represented as a drawing, CAD model, data sheet, requirements, and data relevant for (Production = Production is defined as component manufacturing or system assembly or the combination of both.), handmade prototype)
Used by these processes:
MEE.2 Mechanical Architecture and Design
04-ME01
Mechanical System Architecture (
O1 )
Describes the overall mechanical structure e.g., block diagram, P-diagram/boundary diagram (Interface control document), (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.) structure, 3D-models
Identifies the required mechanical (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.)
Identifies own developed and supplied mechanical (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.)
Identifies the relationships and dependencies between mechanical (Element = The term Element is a collective term for virtual or physical objects on architecture, design, and verification level on the left and right side of the "V-Model".
An architecture specifies the elements of the system. Elements are hierarchically decomposed into smaller elements down to the components which are at the lowest level of the architecture.)
Describes how variants for different model series or configurations are derived
Describes the (Dynamic aspects = Time dependent physical aspects of system/components, e.g., thermal aspects, deformation, motion, vibration, fluid mechanics.) of the mechanical (System = A system consists of at least two elements which can be either a system or a component.)
Consideration is given to:
any required mechanical performance characteristics
any required mechanical interfaces
any required critical characteristics
(Bill of Materials = The Bill of Materials (BOM) is a list of all elements of the system including
• ID of the elements
• Number of instances of elements
• Version of elements)
Used by these processes:
MEE.2 Mechanical Architecture and Design
17-57
Special Characteristics (
O2 )
(Special Characteristics = Special Characteristics are e.g.:
Significant characteristics having a high impact on designed function and on customer satisfaction.
Critical characteristics having a high impact on safety and/or legal aspects of the designed function.
Note: A proper method to identify and rate special characteristics is a D-FMEA.
Further details can be found in
IATF 16949:2016
VDA 4
) in terms of relevant standards such as IATF 16949, VDA 6.x Guidelines, ISO 26262
(Special Characteristics = Special Characteristics are e.g.:
Significant characteristics having a high impact on designed function and on customer satisfaction.
Critical characteristics having a high impact on safety and/or legal aspects of the designed function.
Note: A proper method to identify and rate special characteristics is a D-FMEA.
Further details can be found in
IATF 16949:2016
VDA 4
) according to IATF 16949:2016, are product characteristics or (Production = Production is defined as component manufacturing or system assembly or the combination of both.) process parameters that may have an impact on safety or compliance with official regulations, the fit, the function, the performance or further processing of the product
(Special Characteristics = Special Characteristics are e.g.:
Significant characteristics having a high impact on designed function and on customer satisfaction.
Critical characteristics having a high impact on safety and/or legal aspects of the designed function.
Note: A proper method to identify and rate special characteristics is a D-FMEA.
Further details can be found in
IATF 16949:2016
VDA 4
) shall be verifiable according to VDA vol. 1
Note: A typical method for identifying and rating (Special Characteristics = Special Characteristics are e.g.:
Significant characteristics having a high impact on designed function and on customer satisfaction.
Critical characteristics having a high impact on safety and/or legal aspects of the designed function.
Note: A proper method to identify and rate special characteristics is a D-FMEA.
Further details can be found in
MEE.2
Mechanical Architecture and Design
