Useful Acronyms and Abbreviations in Product Development
I recently toured a few dozen companies in the USA and Europe, where I was reminded that industry professionals use acronyms and abbreviations constantly in their communication. In fact a significant part of starting a new job is simply coming up to speed on all the abbreviations and acronyms that are used in daily communication.
Embarrassingly, I only recently learned that there is a difference between acronyms and other abbreviations [1]. I had falsely believed that all letter combinations like MIT were acronyms, but this is not the case. Only abbreviations that also form a coherent word pronounced as word (and not letters) are acronyms. Thus SCUBA, and NASA are acronyms, while USB and FBI are not.
This article lists common abbreviations used in product development, and gives the non-obvious ones a simple definition. I recommend using the list below to learn more about the day-to-day language used in product development and to refresh when preparing for a design review or a job interview.
List of Product Development Abbreviations
Items with * are acronyms, which are pronounced as words.
Overall
PD (Product Development)
NPI (New Product Introduction)
Disciplines of Product Development
ID (Industrial Design)
ME (Mechanical Engineering)
EE (Electrical Engineering)
UX (User Experience)
PM (Project Management)
PE (Professional Engineer): A title given to a person who have been licensed as a professional engineer in the USA [2]
Business Development
B2B (Business to Business): Indicates that a business’ customer is another business
B2C (Business to Consumer): Indicates that a business’ customer is a consumer (end-user)
RFQ (Request for Quote): A written document produced by a business for suppliers or contractors to respond to
RFP (Request for Proposal): A written document to which contractors/suppliers/organizations may respond with a plan, which they hope will be selected/funded.
SOW (Statement of Work): A written agreement about what a supplier or contract will do for a client
NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement): A signed agreement preventing a visitor outside of a business from disclosing what the business shares with them [3]
IP (Intellectual Property): Non-tangible value created by a business/individual. Often in the form of patents, trademarks, copyrights, engineering models, technical drawings, etc. [4]
ROI (Return on Investment)
Product Development Process
CAD* (Computer Aided Design): Generally referring to digital modeling software or the use thereof [5]
CAM* (Computer Aided Manufacturing): The use of software and computer-controlled machinery to automate a manufacturing process [6]
CAE (Computer Aided Engineering): The use of software to aid engineering analysis. It includes finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multibody dynamics (MBD), durability and optimization. [7]
GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing): Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing is a set of rules and symbols used on an engineering drawing to communicate the intent of a design, focusing on the function of the part [8]
DFA (Design for Assembly): A design approach to consider the assembly of a product early in the design process
DFM (Design for Manufacturing): A design approach to consider the manufacture of a product early in the design process
DFMA (Design for manufacturing and assembly): Term used to convey both DFA and DFM being considered simultaneously
DFX (Design for X): A design approach to consider X early in the design process, where X can be anything such as environment, usability, low-income setting, and so on
FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis): A design approach to systematically envision the risks associated with a product and mitigate them
FEM (Finite Element Method or Finite Element Model): A design approach/model for breaking a complex object into simple-to-evaluate small elements, then reassembling the elements into a full analysis of the object. The analysis is often structural (stress, strain), but can also be for heat transfer or for fluid fields.
FEA (Finite Element Analysis): The use of FEM to model the behavior of objects subject to outside factors such as loads, fluid flows, heat, etc.
CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics): The use of FEM where the object being broken into many elements is the fluid field around an object.
DOE (Design of Experiments): A deliberate and systematic way to test an object under a variety of conditions.
TRL (Technology Readiness Level): A 9-point scale used to classify technology maturity, commonly used in aerospace [9]
EVT (Engineering Verification Tests): Designation given to early stage product development commonly used in the consumer electronics industry. The primary concern of this stage is functional viability [10].
DVT (Design Verification Tests): Designation given to mid-stage product development commonly used in the consumer electronics industry. The primary concern of this stage is embodying the function proven in EVT into a desirable physical product/design [10].
PVT (Production Verification Test): Designation given to late stage product development commonly used in the consumer electronics industry. The primary concern of this stage is manufacturing effectiveness at mass producing the design emerging from DVT [10].
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): The evaluation of a product’s sustainability including all processes from extracting materials from the earth, through production, shipping, recycling, and discarding or reusing the product’s materials [11]
PLM (Product Lifecycle Management): The process of managing the product life cycle, often involving LCA [12]
PDM (Product Data Management): The process of managing all design and engineering process data during the product development process [13]
QFD (Quality Function Deployment): A method for mapping customer needs to product and manufacturing parameters [14]
The Design
PRD (Product Requirements Document)
BOM* (Bill of Materials): A structured and formal list of all parts/components used to construct a product
UI (User interface)
GUI* (Graphical User interface)
CMF (Color, Material, Finish): Three items of primary importance when defining product aesthetics [15]
Prototyping
POC (Proof of Concept)
MVP (Minimum viable product): Prototype having the least number of features required to meet the prototype’s purpose
AM (Additive Manufacturing): The shaping of an object/component by adding thin material layers, as opposed to traditional machining (subtractive manufacturing) which removes thin material layers
Manufacturing
MP (Mass Production): Generally referred to as a stage of a product’s life cycle. MP occurs directly after PVT.
GM (General Manager, of a factory)
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): Generally thought to mean the manufacturer of parts, sub assemblies, or full assemblies sold to another company that combines them with others in an assembly, or that markets and sells them [16]
ODM (Original Design Manufacturer): “a company that designs and manufactures a product, as specified, that is eventually rebranded by another firm for sale” [17]
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure): Standard process for completing a task, often on the manufacturing line
QA, QC, IQC, OQC, (Quality assurance, quality control, incoming quality control, outgoing quality control)
CNC (Computer Numerical Control): Referring to machine tools controlled by computers
Organizations
ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
IDSA (Industrial Design Society of America)
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
ISO* (International Organization for Standardization)
ANSI* (American National Standards Institute)
ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)
NIST* (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
OSHA* (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Why These Abbreviations Matter
Abbreviations are about communication and if you can’t communicate, you won’t get far. The abbreviations above are just a few of the most common used in product development. Once you dig deeper into a particular industry, such as medical products, you’ll find a whole new set to become familiar with, such as MEMS, FDA, and M/S.
Tips for embracing abbreviations:
When you don’t know an abbreviation being used in a conversation, ask “what is ___??” . The longer you wait to ask this question the worse asking it becomes.
Know the abbreviations and use them. Make them part of your vocabulary. There is not really a good way to avoid this.
To know them better, imagine the full word when you say the abbreviation; think of ID as “industrial design”, not the letters “eye dee”.
When you use an abbreviation in written work, define it first. For example “our company’s Product Development (PD) process is well-known and respected because it is human centered. Though many PD companies aim to be human centered, their PD process does not reflect it.”
As a final example of why abbreviations are important, how to learn them, and that the whole thing can be a bit embarrassing, let me share this personal story. I had just finished my PhD which was focused on product development and was on a trip to California visiting a very prominent company and visiting one-on-one with a famous lead designer for the company. In the meeting the lead designer used the abbreviation PD. I asked “what is PD?”. I’m glad I asked – we should generally ask when we don’t know – but in the end, I was embarrassed that I didn’t know that PD was a common way to refer to product development, even though I had just finished a PhD related to it!
References
[1] Dictionary.com, What is the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym? https://abbreviations.yourdictionary.com/articles/what-is-the-difference-between-an-abbreviation-and-an-acroynm.html, accessed 2 June 2022
[2] National Society of Professional Engineers, What is a PE?, https://www.nspe.org/resources/licensure/what-pe, accessed 2 June 2022
[3] Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-disclosure_agreement, accessed 2 June 2022
[4] Intellectual Property (IP), Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property, accessed 2 June 2022
[5] C. Mattson, Computer Aided Design, BYU Design Review, July 16, 2020, https://www.designreview.byu.edu/collections/computer-aided-design, accessed 2 June 2022
[6] M. Deans, What is Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), AutoDesk, March 17, 2021, https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/blog/computer-aided-manufacturing-beginners/, accessed 2 June 2022
[7] Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-aided_engineering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-aided_engineering, accessed 2 June 2022
[8] GDT: https://www.gdandtbasics.com/what-is-gdt/, accessed 2 June 2022
[9] Technology Readiness Level (TRL), Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_readiness_level, accessed 2 June 2022
[10] A. Shedletsky, Engineers Speak in Code: EVT, DVT, PVT Decoded, Instrumental, https://instrumental.com/resources/factory/hardware-engineers-speak-in-code-evt-dvt-pvt-decoded/, accessed 2 June 2022
[11] Life Cycle Assessment: https://pre-sustainability.com/articles/life-cycle-assessment-lca-basics/#h-what-is-a-life-cycle-assessment-lca, accessed 2 June 2022
[12] PLM https://www.sap.com/insights/what-is-product-lifecycle-management.html#:~:text=Product%20lifecycle%20management%20(PLM)%20is,and%20bring%20them%20to%20market., accessed 2 June 2022
[13] PDM https://www.autodesk.com/solutions/pdm-product-data-management#:~:text=Product%20data%20management%20(PDM)%20is,(BOMs)%2C%20and%20more., accessed 2 June 2022
[14] QFD wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_function_deployment, accessed 2 June 2022
[15] CMF https://colormarketing.org/2018/05/18/cmf-design-what-is-it/, accessed 2 June 2022
[16] OEM Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_equipment_manufacturer, accessed 2 June 2022
[17] ODM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_design_manufacturer, accessed 2 June 2022
