DVP Essentials: How TITAN Guarantees Comprehensive Test Coverage with Enhanced Product Quality
In today's fast-paced manufacturing landscape, product success relies on robust design and validation processes. Rushing products to market can lead to unforeseen design and performance issues, resulting in costly failures, recalls, and damage to brand reputation.
To tackle these challenges, industries like automotive, heavy equipment, and aviation rely on the Design Verification Plan and Report (DVP&R). This essential tool acts as a guide and record-keeper, ensuring design specs and performance requirements are met. In this blog, we'll explore DVP&R, its components, significance, and how it complements DFMEA.
What is DVP&R?
The Design Verification Plan and Report (DVP&R) is a structured tool used to plan, execute, and document the tests and analyses necessary to validate a product's design. It is the blueprint for ensuring that a product not only aligns with its intended design but also adheres to regulatory standards and performs as expected.
Purpose of DVP&R
At its core, DVP&R serves as a blueprint for the entire design validation process. Its primary purpose is to ensure that a product:
Conforms to the specified design requirements: DVP&R ensures that the product aligns with the design specifications and meets the intended goals and objectives set during the design phase. DVP takes the identified risks from DFMEA and formulates a plan to verify and validate that the product design adequately addresses them.
Complies with regulatory standards: Many industries are subject to stringent regulatory requirements, and DVP&R helps ensure that the product adheres to these standards. This is especially crucial in sectors like healthcare, automotive, aerospace, and electronics.
Performs as expected: DVP&R validates that the product functions as intended and meets the performance criteria outlined during the design phase. It helps identify any performance issues or deviations from expected behavior.
Importance of "R" in DVP&R
The "R" in DVP&R stands for "Report," and it carries immense significance in the product development process. While planning and conducting verification tests are crucial, documenting and reporting the results are equally vital for several reasons:
Traceability: The report section provides a complete record of the tests performed, their outcomes, and whether the product met the specified criteria. This traceability is vital for quality assurance and regulatory compliance.
Decision-Making: The results and findings documented in the report inform critical decisions in the product development cycle. Whether it's addressing design flaws or certifying a product's readiness for market, the report plays a pivotal role.
Continuous Improvement: The DVP&R report captures valuable insights and lessons learned throughout the verification process. These insights can be used to improve future iterations of the product or avoid similar issues in other projects.
What Goes into DVP&R (Process Stages) + Tasks of DVP&R
DVP&R consists of several key process stages and associated tasks. In this crucial initial phase, teams establish the foundation for a successful Design Verification Plan and Report (DVP&R). The process commences with a meticulous review of design specifications and performance requirements to identify elements needing validation.
To ensure precision and completeness, a robust review and approval workflow is vital, typically involving cross-functional teams including engineers, quality experts, and project managers.
Identification & Preparation with Review & Approval Workflow
Specification Review: Scrutinizing design specs and performance criteria for alignment with intended design and regulatory standards.
Scope Definition: Clearly outlining the scope of verification, specifying which product aspects require testing and validation criteria.
Objective Setting: Establishing clear targets for each verification test, guiding subsequent testing phases.
Resource Allocation: Determining required resources—equipment, personnel, materials essential for testing and verification.
Risk Assessment: Evaluating potential verification process risks, identifying foreseeable challenges or obstacles.
Documentation Review: Reviewing and approving documentation essential for verification, including test protocols, data forms, and acceptance criteria.
Approval Workflow: Progressing through an approval workflow, obtaining signatures or approvals from designated personnel with authority.
This comprehensive Identification & Preparation phase, with an integrated review and approval workflow, sets the stage for a well-structured DVP&R. It ensures alignment among stakeholders with clearly defined verification process scope, reducing the risk of later issues and enhancing verification process efficiency.
Planning
The planning phase involves determining the testing methods and procedures. DVP&R can leverage insights from DFMEA. For instance, if DFMEA identifies potential failure modes related to part thickness, DVP&R may include tests to determine the optimum part thickness required.
Test Article & Sample Size
Selecting the appropriate test articles (prototypes, pre-production units, etc.) and determining the sample size are critical. These choices should align with the objectives of the verification plan.
Scheduling & Resource Allocation
Efficient scheduling and resource allocation are vital to ensure tests are conducted as per the plan. This phase involves setting timelines and securing necessary resources.
Execution
During this stage, the actual tests and analyses are carried out as per the plan. Precise documentation of the testing process is essential for accurate reporting.
Results & Judgments
The results obtained from the tests are evaluated against acceptance criteria. This step determines whether the product meets design specifications and performance requirements.
Reports
The results, judgments, and any issues or observations are compiled into the report section of the DVP&R. This report is a critical document for decision-making and future reference.
Managing DVP&R Using Software - Best Practices
To streamline the DVP&R process and enhance efficiency, many companies are turning to specialized software. Here are some best practices for managing DVP&R using software:
Eliminating Excel Sheets
While Excel spreadsheets have traditionally been used for DVP&R, dedicated software offers more features, automation, and traceability. Transitioning away from spreadsheets can lead to better organization and accuracy.
Tracking Progress
Software enables real-time tracking of the progress of verification tests. Teams can easily monitor which tests are completed, ongoing, or pending, enhancing project management.
Overall Status
Software can provide a holistic view of the overall status of verification efforts. This helps project managers and stakeholders assess whether the project is on track and within scope.
Judgments, Results, Issues: Linked to One System
Software allows for the centralized storage of test results, judgments, and any identified issues. This consolidation simplifies data retrieval and analysis.
Inclusion of Test article
Software can assist in determining the test article, its specification tracking and test history throughout the project.
The DVP&R is crucial for product development, ensuring adherence to design specs and lowering risks. When combined with DFMEA insights and managed using software, it boosts quality, efficiency, and traceability for successful product launches and happier customers.
A Comprehensive Solution for DVP&R
TITAN presented by 12W offers a comprehensive solution to address DVP&R challenges.
Test Coverage
TITAN excels in this aspect by providing a clear view of the percentage of test coverage achieved. This helps ensure all critical aspects are thoroughly tested, reducing the risk of design flaws going unnoticed.
Schedule and Progress
TITAN simplifies this by enabling teams to define start and end dates for each testing activity. Monitoring the percentage completion for each phase allows stakeholders to assess whether the project is proceeding as planned.
Test Procedures
TITAN facilitates the tracking of test cases and procedures, including documenting steps, expected results, and required inputs for each test. This level of detail ensures precise testing execution, minimizing errors and enhancing result reliability.
Test Results
TITAN provides a platform for capturing test case results, including status, defects or issues identified, and related comments, notes and attachments. This information is invaluable for evaluating the product's performance against predefined acceptance criteria.
Defects and Issues
TITAN simplifies this task with a robust defect and issue tracking system. Teams can record detailed defect information, including description, severity, priority, status, and related comments or notes, ensuring prompt and systematic issue resolution.
Collaboration and Transparency
TITAN serves as a centralized platform for collaboration among team members and stakeholders. It offers a single dashboard view of reports, enhancing communication and decision-making.
With TITAN, the test coverage entity with the feature of DVP&R for your product development process becomes not just a possibility, but a reality. We understand that precision, efficiency, and traceability are your top priorities. That's why we've engineered TITAN as your comprehensive solution, tailored to address DVP&R challenges in the digital era.
The Future is Here, and It's with TITAN. Experience the transformation initiate your journey to unparalleled product excellence. Your success story begins with TITAN!
Refresh and reboot with TITAN today and lead the way in product development excellence!
Request a demo and see it Titan in action.