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Testing and validation of automobile engines is one major contributor that extends vehicle development time. One possibility to reduce development time is to use parallel testing rather than a sequential approach. However, a methodology that would encompass the entire product development stage was not available until /1/ “Application of QFD Correlation Matrix Technologies to Reduce Engine Development” was introduced. This paper builds on the methodology introduced in /1/, and suggests a testing sequence to reduce engine development time. Correlation matrices are utilized to identify critical engine components required to initiate parallel subsystem testing. The critical components identified permit a subsystem testing and validation stage that ensure similar subsystem performance in its natural environment with a high level of confidence.

One of the major contributors to the prolongation of product development time in the automobile industry is the testing and validation of automobile engines. This paper offers one method to reduce product development time through the use of carefully developed correlation matrices. The purpose of the correlation matrices is to identify the sub-components that are necessary to test a sub-system. To be successful, there must be a high level of confidence that the sub-system will perform the same in the actual engine environment as in the bench test. This is achieved in the matrix development stage by researching test procedures and consulting various engineers. A careful matrix development stage ensures that a high level of confidence is inherent in the completed matrices. This allows the correlation matrices to be utilized in identifying the minimum number of sub-components required to test any of the sub-systems with a high level of confidence.