Concurrent Engineering Projects Research Articles

Team Collective Intelligence in Dynamically Complex Projects—A Shipbuilding Case

In concurrent engineering projects driven by short delivery times, team performance rests on the team’s capability to quickly and effectively handle different, emergent issues. We conducted an exploratory study of a large, dynamically complex project in which team members had a record of “good problem-solving abilities.” The study revealed how the team members demonstrated a collective ability to swiftly handle emergent issues, which again decreased the intensity of time and performance pressure. Beyond formal processes combined with lean practices, supporting this ability were situation awareness, task-based subgroups, direct lines of communication, and trust.

Estimation of Work Transformation Matrices for Large-Scale Concurrent Engineering Projects

This paper presents an approach to estimating work transformation matrices of large-scale concurrent engineering projects with periodically correlated work processes. A mathematical model of cooperative work is formulated on the basis of the theory of stochastic periodic autoregressive processes. The model can capture not only the cooperative processing of the development tasks with short iteration length but also long-scale effects of withholding the release of information on purpose. This strategy aims at improving the implementation of the product architecture. The solutions of the least-square estimates of the work transformation matrices and the covariances are given. Finally, the estimation accuracy is investigated based on a simulated development of a door module of a vehicle door.

X3D-Based Robot Kinematics Simulation

This paper introduces the related technology in the design of robot virtual prototype. Research is mainly focused on the virtual prototype of the mechanism design, kinematics simulation, control logic and main problems of prototype performance analysis, and try to use X3D technology to realize virtual prototype model of the robot. It is verifies the effectiveness of X3D technology in robot virtual prototype design. The key to realize the robot mechanism design, kinematics simulation, several aspects such as the logic control. But the design of the robot system is a comprehensive mechanical mechanisms, kinematics, dynamics, graphics, artificial intelligence, concurrent engineering, and simulation project of multiple disciplines such as advanced manufacturing technology. The design of the robot system includes dynamic analysis, static analysis, speed, trajectory control, sensor fusion, artificial intelligence analysis, and other technology. The comprehensive realization of multidisciplinary various restrictive factors is to achieve a feasible, effective and ideal robot virtual prototype model of the key problems. Further use X3D technology to add various related techniques to achieve X3D virtual prototype model, the design of robot system, the development of industrial robot has important practical significance.

Implementing collaboration moderator service to support various phases of virtual organisations

Research into moderators, which support collaborative teams by proactively making team members aware of actions or potential problems which may affect them, began in the 1990s, in the context of supporting collaborations during concurrent engineering projects. This paper provides a background to the evolution of moderators and explores their role in supporting virtual organisations. A collaboration moderator (CM) is an evolution of earlier moderators and is capable of behaving differently for different types of users and therefore caters for the varying requirements of individual users depending on the roles they have in the collaborations. This paper describes the architecture and components of a CM from an implementation perspective. Prototype CMs have been developed during the EU-funded SYNERGY project, and two use cases for which the prototype CMs were implemented as a service (a Pre-Creation use case and an Operational use case) are also discussed in this paper.

Development of Creativity in Concurrent Engineering Teams

The development of successful new products is today of challenge to most consumer product companies. They have to short their response time, pushing their development processes to move faster while keeping on competitive prices and quality. These caused companies are forced to find effective and innovative approaches as work methods to overcome to pressures. Concurrent Engineering (CE) is one of the approaches to address these managerial and manufacturing dilemmas in new product projects. The basic premise of CE revolves around team working. However, most of the managers especially project managers face with problems when they want to promote teamwork culture, especially in conditions that the project faces with complicated problems. In this condition, a creative team consists of members from different levels of the organizational hierarchy must be shaped. There are always barriers in group meetings that influence growth and diffusion of creative solutions and would be reduced by using creativity and innovation techniques. The first purpose of this study is to identify the effective criteria in success of creative meetings in CE projects. Next, the prioritization of each factor has been analyzed and ranked respectively. Finally, based on the results of previous research of the authors, the useful group creativity and innovation techniques related with team work meetings in CE projects have been ranked by using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach.

The Importance of CAD and Knowledge Management in Concurrent Engineering Project Performance

As a complex method for manufacturing and development, concurrent engineering has been studied and implemented extensively in the manufacturing industry to speed up production schedules and to reduce costs. One of the tools used in concurrent engineering is computer-aided design or CAD in short. CAD applications in multifunctional knowledge distribution refer to the use of CAD to provide information to different groups of employees in their organisation to sustain new product development activities. Similarly, the move towards knowledge-based competition amplifies the importance of bridging actions in addition to tactical coalitions where key role of institutional knowledge, system improvement and knowledge sharing are focussed on. However, very few studies have been conducted on the use of CAD and knowledge management in influencing concurrent engineering project performance in Malaysian manufacturing firms. Hence, this study focusses on determining the nature of the relationship between CAD use and knowledge management with concurrent engineering project performance in a Malaysian manufacturing firm. A survey was conducted within the firm, yielding a total of 226 usable responses that were then analysed using SPSS. The findings indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between CAD use and knowledge management and concurrent engineering project performance. In addition, CAD use for cross-functional information sharing together with the three knowledge management processes — internalisation, combination and externalisation can explain 55.3% of the variance in concurrent engineering project performance. An interesting finding of this study based on the multiple regression analysis conducted is that the use of CAD for engineering design and socialisation are not significant in influencing concurrent engineering project performance. In practice, this finding is relevant because when coupled with CAD use, knowledge management approaches that are more externalisation, combination and internalisation-orientated are often practiced if compared to socialisation-orientated activities.

A risk mitigation approach for concurrent engineering projects

Generally, risks are encountered and generate negative outcomes in concurrent engineering (CE) projects including project delays, cost overruns and unacceptable quality. These outcomes can be avoided by establishing a systematic risk management process. In this research, a risk management approach used is outlined, according to Australia and New Zealand risk management standard (AS/NZS 4360: 1999). An IDEF3 model is used to represent the CE project architecture as a process model. A risk assessment and mitigation model is developed to identify, assess and evaluate risks in concurrent engineering projects to suggest a mitigation strategy. Five heuristic rules are implemented in three simulated scenarios and genetic algorithm is bound to generate the most cost-effective solutions. The risk mitigation model developed in this research is aimed to be used as a decision support tool for project managers to select the best mitigation strategy based on the available mitigation budget and objectives of the project.

IRMAS – development of a risk management tool for collaborative multi‐site, multi‐partner new product development projects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop comprehensive risk management tool, Intelligent Risk Mapping and Assessment System (IRMAS™) with a contingency for multi‐site, multi‐partner concurrent engineering projects with the aim of achieving above‐mentioned paradigms. Its unique knowledge warehouse enables the use of organisational knowledge, lessons learnt, captured as well as best practices to minimise risks in project management.

A Risk Mitigation Methodology for New Product and Process Design in Concurrent Engineering Projects

Based on earlier work on risk quantification, a new risk mitigation methodology is developed for new product and process design in concurrent engineering projects. First the most prominent risks in the product life cycle are identified and quantified. Then five computational algorithms are developed and used to find feasible solutions for mitigating these risks: Least-Cost-First, Highest-Risk-First, Minimum-Cost-Risk-Ratio- First, Random-Search and a Genetic Algorithm. Based on the available mitigation budget and strategic objectives of the project the best mitigation strategy is then recommended to the project managers. Actual financial outcomes of an industry project were used to successfully validate the methodology.

The effect of uncertainty and resource constraints on concurrent engineering projects

Concurrent Engineering (CE) requires careful planning and analysis due to the uncertainties caused by the parallel execution of activities. In this paper, a probabilistic mathematical model fitted to precedence relations is proposed to estimate the project completion time under uncertainty and resource constraints. A computer program was prepared in C++ to simulate the randomness in the process. The major benefits of the model developed are two-fold. Firstly, it allows users to consider uncertainty and resource constraints before CE implementation. Secondly, trade-off analysis between resources available vs. project completion time can be carried out in advance to allocate resources accordingly.

Estimation of Project Completion Time and Factors Analysis for Concurrent Engineering Project Management: A Simulation Approach

In concurrent engineering projects, tasks are usually interdependent among each other that require much iteration before completion where the critical path method/program evaluation and review technique (CPM/PERT) may not be applicable to help estimate the project duration. In addition, carrying out a large-scaled project in a dynamic environment has to deal with various factors at the same time. When estimating the project completion time, previous research often focused on one subject of interest and assumed the other factors causing little effect on the overall project duration. The objective of this article is to develop a research framework to help estimate the project completion time and analyze the major factors that affect the estimation for complex concurrent engineering projects. The framework consists of three major components: (1) data collection, where the needed data for simulation are prepared including project task structure, task relations, and quantified team member characteristics; (2) simulation, where tasks are dynamically assigned to the appropriate members/engineers according to each member's knowledge level of the task, teamwork capability, work schedule availability, and learning curve improvement; and (3) data analysis, where significant factors to the project completion time are studied by the ANOVA analysis based on the simulation results. The effectiveness of our framework and the simulation model is demonstrated by an illustrative example.

Cooperative Planning, Uncertainty and Managerial Control in Concurrent Design

We examine whether cooperative planning and uncertainty affect the magnitude of rework in concurrent engineering projects with upstream and downstream operations, and explore the impact of such rework on project delays. Using survey data from a sample of 120 business process (BP) redesign and related information technology (IT) development projects in healthcare and telecommunications, our results indicate that upstream (BP) rework and downstream (IT) rework is mediated and mitigated by cooperative planning through upstream/downstream strategy coupling and cross-functional involvement. In addition, uncertainty related to a lack of firm or industry experience with such projects increases the magnitude of upstream rework but not downstream rework or the amount of cooperative planning. After accounting for project scope, implementation horizon and whether delays are anticipated, we find that project delay is primarily influenced by the magnitude of downstream rework and downstream delay: the magnitude of both upstream and downstream rework significantly increases downstream delay, which significantly increases project delay. However, the magnitude of upstream rework does not directly affect project delay. These results suggest that project delay is under managerial control as cooperative planning is a managerial function that reduces downstream rework, while uncertainty from a lack of experience with the design affecting upstream rework is not directly under managerial control.

Cooperative Planning, Uncertainty, and Managerial Control in Concurrent Design

We examine whether cooperative planning and uncertainty affect the magnitude of rework in concurrent engineering projects with upstream and downstream operations, and explore the impact of such rework on project delays. Using survey data from a sample of 120 business process (BP) redesign and related information technology (IT) development projects in healthcare and telecommunications, our results indicate that upstream (BP) rework and downstream (IT) rework is mediated and mitigated by cooperative planning through upstream/downstream strategy coupling and cross-functional involvement. In addition, uncertainty related to a lack of firm or industry experience with such projects increases the magnitude of upstream rework but not downstream rework or the amount of cooperative planning. After accounting for project scope, implementation horizon and whether delays are anticipated, we find that project delay is primarily influenced by the magnitude of downstream rework and downstream delay: the magnitude of both upstream and downstream rework significantly increases downstream delay, which significantly increases project delay. However, the magnitude of upstream rework does not directly affect project delay. These results suggest that project delay is under managerial control as cooperative planning is a managerial function that reduces downstream rework, while uncertainty from a lack of experience with the design affecting upstream rework is not directly under managerial control.

Knowledge elicitation for risk mapping in concurrent engineering projects

Concurrent Engineering aims to incorporate the overlapping of processes in order to reduce its time-to-market and thereby sustain the existence of organizations in increasingly competitive times. Although faster product design, development, and delivery are the intended outcomes of concurrent engineering, one of the undesirable by-products is an increase in risks as a consequence of uncertainties between interdependent processes. Hence, the risks need to be identified, assessed, and mitigated together with concurrent engineering considerations for the elimination of the ‘domino-effect’ within risk management. This paper concentrates primarily on knowledge elicitation techniques that were used to provide information to the Intelligent Risk Mapping and Assessment System (IRMAS™) to identify, prioritise, analyse, and assist project managers to manage perceived sources of CE risks. Techniques such as expert interviews, brainstorming, the Delphi technique, and the analogy process are discussed in relation to compiling the knowledge used for this expert system. A total of 589 risk items were identified for different project types, and information on 4372 items and 136 lessons learned were collected from experts at HdH. The core of the research is a reasoning methodology used for Knowledge Elicitation of a Risk Mapping and Assessment System which will not only support the decision-making process of the user but also aid the knowledge retrieval, storage, sharing, and updating process of manufacturing organizations. This research provides a systematic engineering approach to risk management of concurrent product and process development.

Application of Dependency Structure Matrix for Activity Sequencing in Concurrent Engineering Projects

The dependency structure matrix (DSM) has been identified as an apt tool to represent information flows between activities. Using this representation, information dependency attributes can be organized and analyzed in a structured manner to identify activity groups and sequences for concurrent execution. Current DSM methodology requires significant efforts from the experts to estimate information dependency attributes. The methodology can be more widely used if the estimating efforts are reduced. This paper proposes two concepts to reduce the estimating efforts required for the DSM methodology. The first concept reduces the number of information dependency ratings required and the second concept reduces the effort to estimate the rating. The proposed concepts are structured into a procedure. This procedure is applied to the design phase of an induced draft cooling tower (IDCT) project and discussed. The paper also discusses the shortcomings and future directions of the present approach and concludes that the present approach is applicable in IDCT projects and can be extended to other types of projects.

The Effect of the Learning Process in Concurrent Engineering Projects

Product development projects have evolved from the traditional sequential process into Concurrent Engineering (CE), which is known for its ability to reduce product development time and cost, while increasing quality. CE achieves this by overlapping the activities and executing them in parallel, which in return significantly increases iterations. The number of iterations largely depends on uncertainties in the process and learning occurs during the subsequent iterations. In this article, the effect of learning on CE projects is presented. First, the modeling of the activity structure, activity overlapping, and iterations are explained in a CE environment. Then a simulation model, which is developed by using the Arena Simulation package, is presented to test the effect of the learning process in CE projects. The simulation model developed is used to test five well-known learning theories through an extensive amount of data gathered from an industry-based project. The results suggest that all the learning models show similar behavior in terms of number of iterations required for the ultimate learning once their maximum value is reached.

Decomposition of interdependent task group for concurrent engineering☆

In concurrent engineering, project tasks generally involve the establishment of multifunctional teams in which team members from different functional departments interact in every phase of development tasks to design the products and processes concurrently. However, the increasing complexity of product development and design process often come up with large interdependent task groups due to the nature of the concurrent strategy. The large size of interdependent task groups makes it difficult for team organization and thus delays the project completion. This calls for the intention of this research to develop an effective model to: (1) transform the binary task relationships into the quantifiable task coupling strengths; and (2) to decompose the large interdependent task group into smaller and manageable sub-groups. Design structure matrix (DSM), analytic hierarchy process and cluster analysis are used to represent task relationships, quantify task couplings and decompose large size of task groups. Clustering performance between numerical DSM versus binary DSM is evaluated using a simulation experiment. The experimental results show that the clustering performance of using numerical DSM is better than the use of binary DSM. The effectiveness of this model is then demonstrated by an illustrative example. The result shows that our proposed model is capable of decomposing the large coupling task group that helps team organization for concurrent engineering project.

I2QFD: A blackboard-based multiagent system for supporting concurrent engineering projects

Although Concurrent Engineering has been accredited as a superior approach to product development, its intrinsic complexity in coordinating the multidisciplinary project team is further augmented when team members are remotely distributed. Assuming the teamwork is supported by an Intranet, this paper proposes the framework of a blackboard-based multiagent system, called I 2 QFD, to facilitate the communication and coordination of the design projects. Configured within a hierarchical structure, this system is defined with IDEF0 and high-level Petri nets to depict the operations of Intelligent Agencies and their affiliated agents. Based on temporal logic, the operation of the project team with I 2 QFD is simulated to manifest the dynamics of the design process as well as to generate the project's schedule that ensures the intended concurrency.

Communication and Cooperation Analysis in a Concurrent Engineering Experiment

The concurrent engineering approach seems to be a new way to minimise cost and delay for product design. However, few experiments using distributed skills are described in the literature. This paper describes a concurrent engineering experiment involving four French academic laboratories, to design an automated assembling bank for an aeroplane fuselage. The chosen concurrent design process is described first. Then, all the communications accomplished within the 2 years of the project and their protocols are described. From their study, the cooperation involved is modelled and analysed using the concept of the cooperation graph. This experiment produces advice on how to succeed in a concurrent engineering project.

Concurrent Engineering Projects Supported by the European Commission's ESPRIT Programme and Future Trends

The European Commission ESPRIT (European Strategic Programme for Research in Information Technology) Programme has been supporting Concurrent Engineering (CE) related projects since the 1980s. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of the substantial research done within this programme and provide pointers for the international CE community to access the research projects. This paper presents the views of a European expert group on the changes in industrial and research context in the CE area and high light current challenges. A tabulation of ESPRIT R&D projects in CE to January 1999 is presented to provide a quick index of research projects. The projects are analysed with reference to industrial sectors and project foci. The paper finishes with a brief comparison of the relevant activities at the wider international research and industrial application context. 3CORDIS: Community Research and Development Information Service, http:// www.corids.lu/home.html.