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Create Functions

What is it?

A product, manufacturing process, procedure or service, or an infrastructure need can all be described with an active verb and a measurable noun.

How

When selecting verbs to create a function, the use of passive verbs should be avoided.
For example there may be a requirement(need) for an E-vehicle to keep occupants warm. 
When this requirement is expressed as “provide heat”, the requirement is not well defined. “Provide” is a passive verb. The need being met is not clear.

To identify an active verb, change the noun “heat” to a verb.

Heat is an active verb. Then ask “Heat what?”.

  • Heat occupant (the number of occupants can be measured, the amount of heat required can be measured)
  • Heat drivers
  • Heat seat
  • Heat steering wheel

Example - Paperclips

The level of abstraction impacts on understanding the need. What function or need does a paperclip meet?

Paper Clips

Attach Paper?
Attach Objects?

Attach paper is a function with an active verb and measurable noun. Alternative ways to meet this need might be glue paper or staple paper.

If the function is "attach objects" there are many more possible solutions. The degree of abstraction of "attach object" is greater than for "attach paper".

Verbs and Nouns

The following lists of measurable nouns and active verbs are commonly used in function analysis:

Product Needs
VERBS
  • Absorb
  • Access
  • Actuate
  • Apply
  • Attach
  • Attract
  • Circulate
  • Conduct
  • Connect
  • Contain
  • Control
  • Covert
  • Create
  • Decrease
  • Deflect
  • Direct
  • Enclose
  • Enhance
  • Extend
  • Generate
  • Generate
  • Guide
  • Improve
  • Increase
  • Isolate
  • Limit
  • Maintain
  • Pivot
  • Position
  • Prevent
  • Protect
  • Reduce
  • Regulate
  • Resist
  • Rotate
  • Seal
  • Sense
  • Supply
  • Support
  • Transmit
NOUNS
  • Access
  • Air
  • Appearance
  • Bending
  • Circuit
  • Climate
  • Cold
  • Comfort
  • Component
  • Corrosion
  • Current
  • Deflection
  • Dirt
  • Drag
  • Energy
  • Entry
  • Flow
  • Fluid
  • Force
  • Friction
  • Heat
  • Impact
  • Light
  • Mass
  • Material
  • Moisture
  • Motion
  • Noise
  • Occupant
  • Parts
  • Path
  • Pressure
  • Stability
  • Surface
  • Torque
  • Travel
  • Vibration
  • Weight
Processes (Industry)
VERBS
  • Apply
  • Assemble
  • Assure
  • Blend
  • Clean
  • Control
  • Convert
  • Create
  • Decrease
  • Deliver
  • Fasten
  • Fill
  • Finish
  • Form
  • Generate
  • Guide
  • Identify
  • Improve
  • Increase
  • Inspect
  • Join
  • Load
  • Maintain
  • Make
  • Move
  • Position
  • Prevent
  • Protect
  • Receive
  • Release
  • Remove
  • Repair
  • Rotate
  • Seal
  • Store
  • Supply
  • Test
  • Thread
  • Transport
  • Validate
  • Verify
NOUNS
  • Alignment
  • Assembly
  • Burr
  • Casting
  • Cause
  • Cleanliness
  • Cold
  • Component
  • Container
  • Correction
  • Damage
  • Defect
  • Device
  • Die
  • Dimension
  • Dirt
  • Environment
  • Equipment
  • Finish
  • Flash
  • Gage
  • Gas
  • Heat
  • Hole
  • Inventory
  • Length
  • Locator
  • Machine
  • Material
  • Mold
  • Operation
  • Part
  • Priority
  • Schedule
  • Shape
  • Surface
  • Tool
  • Uniformity
Infrastructure
VERBS
  • Absorb
  • Access
  • Alter
  • Amplify
  • Carry
  • Change
  • Circulate
  • Collect
  • Condition
  • Conduct
  • Connect
  • Contain
  • Control
  • Convey
  • Cool
  • Create
  • Cross
  • Deflect
  • Distribute
  • Divert
  • Emit
  • Enclose
  • Enhance
  • Enjoy
  • Establish
  • Exclude
  • Expand
  • Extinguish
  • Feed
  • Feel
  • Filter
  • Finish
  • Guide
  • Heat
  • Illuminate
  • Impede
  • Improve
  • Increase
  • Induce
  • Inspect
  • Insulate
  • Integrate
  • Interrupt
  • Manage
  • Modulate
  • Move
  • Power
  • Prevent
  • Protect
  • Rectify
  • Reduce
  • Reflect
  • Release
  • Repel
  • Resist
  • Retain
  • Separate
  • Shield
  • Smell
  • Span
  • Spread
  • Store
  • Supply
  • Support
  • Taste
  • Think
  • Transfer
  • Transmit
  • Ventilate
NOUNS
  • Air
  • Aperature
  • Appearance
  • Balance
  • Beauty
  • Colour
  • Compression
  • Convenience
  • Current
  • Delay
  • Drivers
  • Enclosure
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Fall
  • Features
  • Fire
  • Floor
  • Flow
  • Fluids
  • Force
  • Form
  • Gas
  • Heat
  • Image
  • Information
  • Landscape
  • Light
  • Load
  • Material
  • Objects
  • Overturning
  • Oxidation
  • Parking
  • Pedestrian
  • People
  • Power
  • Preparation
  • Presige
  • Property
  • Protection
  • Radiation
  • Security
  • Sheer
  • Sound
  • Space
  • Structure
  • Style
  • Symmetry
  • Temperature
  • Tension
  • Texture
  • Tone
  • Torque
  • Traffic
  • User
  • Utilities
  • View
  • Voltage
  • Water
  • Weight
Procedures
VERBS
  • Administer
  • Allocate
  • Analyze
  • Apply
  • Assess
  • Assure
  • Audit
  • Authorize
  • Certify
  • Compile
  • Confirm
  • Control
  • Copy
  • Create
  • Decrease
  • Define
  • Develop
  • Distribute
  • Enter
  • Establish
  • Estimate
  • Evaluate
  • Explore
  • Forecast
  • Gain
  • Generate
  • Guide
  • Identify
  • Improve
  • Increase
  • Inform
  • Learn
  • Maintain
  • Manage
  • Measure
  • Monitor
  • Obtain
  • Organize
  • Oversee
  • Predict
  • Prevent
  • Prioritize
  • Procure
  • Protect
  • Receive
  • Reconcile
  • Record
  • Report
  • Set
  • Specify
  • Test
  • Transmit
  • Update
NOUNS
  • Alternative
  • Awareness
  • Concept
  • Control
  • Coordination
  • Creiteria
  • Data
  • Decision
  • Design
  • Deviation
  • Direction
  • Document
  • Facility
  • Funds
  • Goal
  • History
  • Information
  • Instruction
  • Inventory
  • Limit
  • Management
  • Material
  • Option
  • Order
  • Outcome
  • Part
  • Performance
  • Performance
  • Personnel
  • Plan
  • Priority
  • Process
  • Quality
  • Record
  • Regulation
  • Request
  • Resource
  • Satisfaction
  • Schedule
  • Security
  • Shipment
  • Source
  • Staff
  • Standard
  • Status
  • Trend
  • Users

An excellent online function thesaurus tool is available from the Lawrence D. Miles foundation.

Information Phase Function Analysis Phase Creative Phase Evaluation Phase Development Phase Presentation Phase