Estimating design effort in product development: A case study at Pratt & Whitney Canada

The design effort required in a project, not only impacts the final cost, but also the project lead-time. This paper presents a case study carried out with the collaboration of Pratt & Whitney Canada, a global leader in the design and manufacture of aircraft engines. The study uses a parametric model for the purpose of design effort estimation of an integrated blade-rotor low-pressure compressor (IBR LPC) fan. The model estimation is compared with the actual project performance, and results demonstrate good estimation of the design effort. The impact of various factors used for design effort estimation is also discussed. Finally, the usefulness of the model is demonstrated.