Set-Based Design

Set-Based Design commonly referred to as a set-based design innovation or set-based concurrent engineering. It is a product development approach where teams consider a wide range of design alternatives (a “set”) and systematically reduce the set to a final, often superior choice.[1]

Set-based design is not a new concept, but Toyota calls it set-based concurrent engineering, a term that explains how its process differs from traditional design based on the principle of construction.^[2]

The same approach of looking at a range of options works for product development and is what drives innovation and results in point-based design. Teams tend to practice this, of course, where they are forced to commit to a design solution without thoroughly testing the assumptions that underpin the solution. With point-based designs, teams can develop multiple options, eliminating options as they gain more insight

1 Toche, B., Pellerin, R., Fortin, C., 2020. Set-based design: A review and new directions. Design Science.

2  Prashant MJ …’Set-Based Design‘…