Before you start
This tutorial walks through a full cascade on a simple worked example: a small consumer product whose stakeholder needs are translated into requirements, then into architectural element targets, then into design parameter margins.
You only need a modern web browser. The module runs entirely client-side; no installation is required.
Walkthrough
6List stakeholder needs
Open the cascade tool and add the stakeholder needs at the top level. Each need carries an importance weight reflecting its relative priority — gathered from interviews, surveys, or domain expertise.
Build the first matrix: needs → requirements
Add the system requirements that, taken together, satisfy the stakeholder needs. Fill in the relationship cells — strong, medium, weak, or none — between each need and each requirement. The module rolls up the importance weights to give a prioritised list of requirements at the bottom edge of the matrix.
Cascade to the architecture matrix
The prioritised requirements automatically become the inputs of the next matrix. Add the architectural elements (subsystems, functional blocks) and fill in the relationship cells. The module produces weighted target margins at architectural level.
Cascade to design parameters
Repeat the cascade one more level: each architectural target is decomposed into the design parameters that engineers will set. The module's output is a list of target margins on every design parameter, with a clear chain of justification back to a stakeholder need.
Read the Sankey overview
Switch to the Sankey view to see the entire cascade as a flow diagram. Hover over any design parameter to see exactly which requirements and stakeholder needs drove its target margin.
Iterate
Edit any cell at any level. Changes propagate forward through the cascade automatically, so you can test the effect of re-prioritising needs or restructuring the architecture without re-doing the matrices manually.
Next steps
- See the worked examples on the Case Studies page.
- Read about QFD and the cascade method on the Literature page.
- Once your cascade is in place, evaluate the resulting margins with Margin Value Analysis.
- Get in touch via the contact page.