Design Review Management Skill

Purpose

The Design Review Management skill provides capabilities for preparing and executing formal design reviews (PDR/CDR), enabling systematic verification of design maturity and stakeholder alignment.

Capabilities

• Design review agenda preparation
• Review criteria and checklist development
• Technical presentation guidance
• Action item tracking and management
• Review board coordination
• Design maturity assessment
• Gate criteria verification
• Review meeting facilitation

Usage Guidelines

Design Review Types

Review Gate Framework

Review	Timing	Purpose	Key Questions
SRR	Requirements phase	Requirements complete	Are requirements understood?
PDR	Preliminary design	Design approach approved	Will the design work?
CDR	Detailed design	Design ready for build	Is the design complete?
TRR	Test readiness	Ready for qualification	Can we test this?
PRR	Production	Ready for manufacturing	Can we build this?

Preliminary Design Review (PDR)

Entry criteria:
- Requirements baselined
- Preliminary design complete
- Key trade studies completed
- Risk assessment performed
- Preliminary analysis complete

Exit criteria:
- Design approach approved
- Requirements verified feasible
- Major risks identified and mitigated
- Development plan approved
- Resources allocated

Critical Design Review (CDR)

Entry criteria:
- Detailed design complete
- All analysis complete
- Drawings released for review
- Bill of materials complete
- Manufacturing plan drafted

Exit criteria:
- Design frozen
- Analysis approved
- Drawings approved for release
- Manufacturing plan approved
- Test plan approved

Review Preparation

Agenda Development

Standard review agenda:
1. Introduction and objectives (15 min)
2. Requirements review (30 min)
3. Design overview (45 min)
4. Analysis summary (30 min)
5. Manufacturing approach (30 min)
6. Test approach (30 min)
7. Risk assessment (30 min)
8. Schedule and cost (15 min)
9. Action items and closure (30 min)

Review Package

1. Documentation

   • Design description
   • Requirements verification matrix
   • Analysis reports
   • Drawings/models
   • Risk register
   • Development schedule

2. Presentation Materials

   • Overview slides
   • Technical deep-dive backup
   • Supporting data
   • Action item log (from previous review)

Review Checklists

Design Checklist (Mechanical)

Requirements:
[ ] All requirements allocated and traceable
[ ] Derived requirements documented
[ ] Interface requirements defined
[ ] Verification methods assigned

Design:
[ ] Design meets all requirements
[ ] Design intent documented
[ ] Material selections justified
[ ] Tolerances appropriate for function
[ ] Accessibility for maintenance
[ ] Safety considerations addressed

Analysis:
[ ] Structural analysis complete
[ ] Thermal analysis complete
[ ] Fatigue life adequate
[ ] Weight budget met
[ ] Margins documented

Manufacturing:
[ ] Design is manufacturable
[ ] Tolerances achievable
[ ] Special processes identified
[ ] Supplier capability verified
[ ] Cost estimate complete

Risk Assessment Checklist

For each risk:
[ ] Risk clearly defined
[ ] Likelihood assessed
[ ] Consequence assessed
[ ] Mitigation plan defined
[ ] Responsible party assigned
[ ] Target closure date set
[ ] Status tracked

Review Execution

Review Board Composition

Role	Responsibility	Required/Optional
Chair	Lead review, decisions	Required
Secretary	Record actions	Required
Chief Engineer	Technical authority	Required
Design Lead	Present design	Required
Analysis Lead	Present analysis	Required
Manufacturing	Assess producibility	Required
Quality	Compliance verification	Required
Customer	Requirements owner	Situational

Decision Criteria

Review outcomes:
- APPROVED: All criteria met, proceed to next phase
- CONDITIONAL: Proceed with identified conditions
- NOT APPROVED: Return to previous phase

Voting process:
- Unanimous for approval
- Document dissenting opinions
- Escalation path for unresolved issues

Action Item Management

Action Item Content

Required information:
- Unique ID
- Description
- Assigned to
- Due date
- Priority (high/medium/low)
- Status
- Closure criteria
- Resolution summary

Tracking Process

Action item lifecycle:
1. Opened at review
2. Assigned and acknowledged
3. Work in progress
4. Resolution proposed
5. Reviewed and verified
6. Closed

Process Integration

• ME-024: Design Review Process (PDR/CDR)

Input Schema

{
  "review_type": "SRR|PDR|CDR|TRR|PRR",
  "project_info": {
    "name": "string",
    "phase": "string",
    "schedule_date": "date"
  },
  "review_scope": {
    "systems": "array",
    "requirements": "array of requirement IDs"
  },
  "previous_actions": "array of action items",
  "attendees": {
    "required": "array",
    "optional": "array"
  }
}

Output Schema

{
  "review_package": {
    "agenda": "document reference",
    "presentation": "file reference",
    "checklists": "array of checklist references"
  },
  "review_results": {
    "decision": "approved|conditional|not_approved",
    "conditions": "array (if conditional)",
    "action_items": [
      {
        "id": "string",
        "description": "string",
        "assigned_to": "string",
        "due_date": "date",
        "priority": "high|medium|low"
      }
    ]
  },
  "maturity_assessment": {
    "overall_score": "number (1-5)",
    "by_area": "object",
    "gaps_identified": "array"
  },
  "meeting_minutes": "document reference"
}

Best Practices

1. Distribute review package in advance (1 week minimum)
2. Pre-brief key stakeholders on critical issues
3. Focus review time on decisions, not presentations
4. Document all action items with clear ownership
5. Follow up on action items before next review
6. Maintain consistent review standards across projects

Integration Points

• Connects with Requirements Flowdown for verification
• Feeds into Change Management for design changes
• Supports Test Planning for verification evidence
• Integrates with Quality for compliance