Mapping Functions to Components

Concept development decisions determine product specifications and the product configuration. A vector of attributes (such as speed, price, reliability, capacity) is an effective way of describing the product (Krishnan and Ulrich 2001). The choice of this vector is driven by customer preferences as well as manufacturing and supply 

The mapping from the functional elements to the components of a product can be one-to-one (only one function is performed by a component), many-to-one (many functions are performed by a component), or one-to-many (one function is performed by many components). Complexity of a function increases if it is performed by more than one component. For example, the function of car air conditioning is to cool the inside of the car. This requires a group of components - the compressor, the radiator, and fans - to work together even if they are constrained by interfaces with other components (Muffatto and Roveda 2002). 

Ulrich (1995) uses two examples - a traditional trailer for cargo, and a special trailer - to explain how product functions are mapped to physical components. In 

Note that each of the five components supports only one specific function, in effect creating a set of five modules. 

Functions Upper half Lower half Nose piece Cargo hanging springs Slot covers Wheels 

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