Final answer:
The engineering design process involves managing hardware and software life cycles, supporting decision-making with automated systems, and iterating designs in a spiral manner to refine the product. It considers all aspects of production, from component sourcing to assembly, and includes reversible processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The engineering design process consists of managing both hardware and software models and their lifecycles. This includes understanding the human software interactions in complex automated systems and supporting the decision-making processes of workers. It involves developing, implementing, and maintaining methods, operation sequences, and processes in the manufacture or fabrication of parts, components, subassemblies, and final assemblies. It also involves iterating the design process, which may be referred to as a spiral design process, where project tasks are revisited repetitively or cyclically to refine the product based on improved understanding through prototyping and evaluation. The shapes and dimensions of physical components, the sources of components, materials, and fabrication processes used, as well as detailed schematic diagrams and computer code for any embedded systems are critical elements of this process. Finally, it accounts for a reversible process, where both the system and the external environment can theoretically be returned to their original states.