What are some ways to identify and pursue new engineering design opportunities?

2 Brainstorm and ideate

Another way to identify new engineering design opportunities is to brainstorm and ideate possible solutions, concepts, or features that can enhance your existing products, services, or processes. You can use various techniques, such as mind mapping, sketching, prototyping, or SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse), to generate and visualize ideas. You can also involve your team members, colleagues, or experts from different disciplines to get diverse perspectives and insights. By brainstorming and ideating, you can explore different possibilities and opportunities for your engineering design projects.

3 Validate and prioritize

Once you have identified some potential engineering design opportunities, you need to validate and prioritize them according to their feasibility, desirability, and viability. You can use various methods, such as surveys, interviews, experiments, or simulations, to test your assumptions, gather feedback, and measure outcomes. You can also use criteria, such as customer value, market size, competitive advantage, technical complexity, or cost-benefit analysis, to rank your opportunities and select the most promising ones. By validating and prioritizing, you can focus your resources and efforts on the most viable and impactful engineering design opportunities.

4 Plan and execute

The final step to pursue new engineering design opportunities is to plan and execute your projects. You can use various tools, such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, or agile frameworks, to define your scope, goals, tasks, milestones, and deliverables. You can also use various strategies, such as risk management, quality control, or stakeholder engagement, to ensure your projects are delivered on time, on budget, and on specification. By planning and executing, you can turn your engineering design opportunities into tangible and successful outcomes.

5 Learn and improve

The engineering design process does not end with the completion of your projects. You can always learn and improve from your experiences, results, and feedback. You can use various techniques, such as reflection, evaluation, or post-mortem analysis, to identify what worked well, what did not work well, and what can be improved in your engineering design process. You can also use various sources, such as courses, books, podcasts, or mentors, to update your knowledge, skills, and competencies. By learning and improving, you can enhance your engineering design performance and readiness for new opportunities.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?