Non Deterministic Approaches

The engineering process typically consists of a number of successive phases:

1. definition of product specifications and design data, and definition of load cases and load case combinations
2. definition of a preliminary design and initial analysis of its feasibility
3. gradual design refinement and improvement, and specification of design details, concluded with the definition of final design
4. definition of the production process
5. production startup and quality control
6. operations of the product in service conditions
   

Each of these phases considers a number of inputs, some of which may be uncertain. Each of these phases is concluded with a decision.