The design process is widely used in engineering. Engineering is usually defined
in terms of what an engineer does, but engineering can also be defined in terms of how
the engineer does what he or she does. Engineering is as much a method, an approach,
a process, a state of mind for problem solving, as it is an activity. The engineering approach
is that of thoroughness, attention to detail, and consideration of all the possibilities.
While it may seem a contradiction in terms to emphasize "attention to detail" while
extolling the virtues of open-minded, freewheeling, creative thinking, it is not. The two
activities are not only compatible, they are symbiotic. It ultimately does no good to have
creative, original ideas if you do not, or cannot, carry out the execution of those ideas
and "reduce them to practice." To do this you must discipline yourself to suffer the
nitty-gritty, nettlesome, tiresome details which are so necessary to the completion of any
one phase of the creative design process. For example, to do a creditable job in the design
of anything, you must completely define the problem. If you leave out some detail
of the problem definition, you will end up solving the wrong problem. Likewise, you
must thoroughly research the background information relevant to the problem. You must
exhaustively pursue conceptual potential solutions to your problem. You must then extensively
analyze these concepts for validity. And, finally, you must detail your chosen
design down to the last nut and bolt to be confident it will work. If you wish to be a good
designer and engineer, you must discipline yourself to do things thoroughly and in a logical,
orderly manner, even while thinking great creative thoughts and iterating to a solution.
Both attributes, creativity and attention to detail, are necessary for success in engineering
design.