How Circular Dependencies Impact Design and Development
A circular relationship (where Component A affects B, which affects A again) creates coupling between design features. These are called circular dependencies.
This is a substandard product solution that consumes development time.
A simple example: consider a rearview mirror bracket on a car. The design requirement is to avoid natural frequency vibrations while the car is moving.
Increasing the thickness of the bracket can control the stiffness by increasing the natural frequency. This seems like a good design feature.
However, increasing the thickness will also increase weight, which lowers the natural frequency, which then requires an even thicker cross section, eventually violating weight constraints for the vehicle. Axiomatic Design functional decomposition illuminates coupled solutions. The designer can seek a better ‘uncoupled’ solution.