| The Anchoring and Adjustment design strategy was developed to provide an accurate description of designers' approach for re-using the knowledge and experience embodied in previous design solutions to solve re-design problems. The suggested prescriptive elements in the strategy address the management of what can otherwise be an ad hoc process.;Not "starting from scratch," the strategy model describes the unique starting point of a re-design process with its "anchor". The "anchor" describes the initial approximation of the new re-design solution and consists of previous design solutions (components, devices, and solution principles) which fulfill each of the design's functional requirements. A metric, the design's "deltaSpecs," defines the differences between the target specifications for the new design and the performance of the current version of the evolving design. The metric is used to evaluate the "goodness" of the evolving solution. The overall strategy describes the development of a re-design with an initial "anchor" and then the "adjustment" of this anchor in an iterative manner until the deltaSpecs are eliminated or minimized to an acceptable level, at which time the design is complete.;Based on the designers' attempts to minimize re-design costs, the strategy describes a set of initial, minimal adjustments that initiates the iterative re-design process. Adjustments are defined by the "aspects" of the solution that are to be changed to minimize or eliminate each deltaSpec. Different "aspects" (material, geometry, kinematics, production, etc.) represent different "levels" of change if re-designed, e.g., adjusting the method of assembly versus a more costly change of materials. Finally, the strategy's "jump metric" describes a designer's monitoring of the success of each "level of adjustment" to determine if there is a need to make a "jump" to a new "level". A "jump" is needed when the initial, minimal adjustments prove to be insufficient for achieving re-design goals. The aim is to have only shortfalls of critical targets justify incurring the greater "cost" of a higher level of adjustment.;Case studies including the design of experimental apparati, car seat adjustment mechanisms, and oil well servicing devices were used to evaluate and develop this strategy. |
