Seikan Ishigai

Decision-Making and Safety-Control in the Dsvelopment Spiral of New Products.

Development of any new product is similar to solving multiple simultaneous equations with so many variables that yield an infinite number of solutions. The course of development from the initial concept to the final product is a spiral that goes up to higher levels by repeating plan-do-see cycles. Selection of direction at every crossroad by a trial-and-error method is necessary to reduce the initially too many possibilities down to zero to reach the product. Contradiction of cost and safety must be solved in each decision-making process to build safety in the product. Recent rapid growth of the productive power of industry is bringing into play the principle of strict liability in tort.