Problem Formulation

Problem Statement:

Mechanical locks are becoming insufficient at properly keeping properties safe and secure.

Statement-Restatement Technique:

Statement:

Improve door locks and make them safer and more secure.

Restatements:

Make door keys harder to replicate by making them more intricate.

Find a replacement for mechanical locks that is more secure.

The Present-State/Desired-State

Present-State:

Mechanical door locks are easily accessed through lockpicking methods or through replication of a mechanical key. Also, they cannot monitor when people use the door.

Desired-State:

A more secure and convenient entry to the property.

Kepner-Tregoe (KT) Situation Analysis

The Kepner-Tregoe situation analysis for this problem is focused on three criteria timing, trend, and impact.

Timing:

The timing of the situation is a core part of how the problem came about. Door locks have gone basically unchanged for decades while other parts of our lives have been upgraded as technology progressed. With the combination of cheap technologies and the outdated static design of door locks the timing is right for door locks to get a technological upgrade.

A new lock should be designed and tested and when that is ready the old lock can be removed and the new smart lock will be attached. A lock is an important security feature of a house and should not be swapped until a proper replacement is found.

Trend:

Currently, old school door locks dominate the industry with the majority of households using them. Companies like Ring and Nest are making progress connecting the locks to IoT by offering better features at a reasonable price. The popularity of smart locks is on the rise and the interest in them is growing. The trends support a change in the industry to become more technologically advanced.

These trends are increasing in recent as more and more people rely on delivery services in their day to day lives. More strangers are visiting houses to either deliver a package or food than ever before. Having convenience features like a camera on your door might have been superfluous in the past but are more necessary now. As trends change and adapt the products people use need to adapt with them. The requirements for the front door of the past and the present are very different and need updating.

Impact:

The impact of having smart IoT door locks would be great for security and convenience. Normal door locks mechanisms are not very secure and can easily be cracked by as little as a picture of the key for the lock. The new smart locks would have better security since they are not relying on a physical key. They would also be more convenient because they can offer remote access and extra features like a camera which shows you who is at the door. The users of smart locks will have a more convenient and secure experience.

People who use new technologies will be impacted by the new design a lot more than those who don't. The extra security features are important for everyone and will have an important impact on all people. However, the convenience features will especially be useful for those who rely on new technologies.

Kepner-Tregoe (KT) Problem Analysis

The main problem with the old lock designs is security and convenience. There have been examples of people 3D printing exact replicas of keys from a simple picture of the key of the lock. The locking mechanisms are also easy to pick for many locks. The security that normal locks provide has deteriorated because of new technologies and techniques revealed by the internet. They are also not very convenient a lot of people expect tools around them to be smart and help them with their daily life. Old locks offer no convenient features like connectivity to a phone for notifications or a camera that allows people to see who is at the door.

These security problems and extra features can be added to a locking mechanism to make a more secure and smart door lock. The new lock would be more convenient for users and keep them more secure. It would help everyone but certain people would benefit from the new improvements a lot more than others.