The example in Figure 2 illustrates

The example in Figure 2 illustrates the key characteristics of SBCE. In Part A, the two functions, design engineering and manufacturing engineering, define broad sets of feasible solutions from their respective areas of expertise (principle 1 — map the design space). In Part B, design engineering then smoothly refines the set over time by eliminating ideas not feasible from the manufacturing perspective (principle 2 — integrate by intersection). Design engineering continues to refine the set through further design and development work, while manufacturing engineering is also designing and refining at this stage. In Part C, the two groups continue to communicate about the sets under consideration, ensuring producible product designs while enabling manufacturing to get a jump start on design and fabrication of the production process (principle 3 — establish feasibility before commitment). The gradual convergence to a final design, Part D, helps the development team make sound design decisions at each stage. Gradual convergence also allows both functions to work in tandem with little risk of rework. Figure 2 is highly simplified, with only two actors. SBCE works in the context of many actors defining sets, communicating sets, and converging to mutually acceptable solutions that optimize system performance, not individual subsystem performance.