Managing Design Changes Research Articles

Integration of structural designers’ workflows into BIM

BIM has revolutionized architectural design workflows. In this process, the work of structural engineers relies on the work of many other disciplines, and their decisions are input data for them. However, these data are not always provided in a structured form. Live load and composite load values are typically such data, that may frequently change during the design process. This research explores BIM-based tools for interdisciplinary collaboration between architectural and structural disciplines, with a focus on managing design changes and ensuring that load data is available as early as possible in the design process. In this article, automatic load definition possibilities were explored and adapted to the BIM methodology by using Archicad, Revit, and Allplan. The software options and their logic differ greatly, therefore the proposed methodology can be applied most seamlessly in Archicad. It was demonstrated that by linking the composite structure database to the model, the loads from the built-in materials and the room functions can be generated and updated semi-automatically in response to design changes.

Managing Design Changes through Integrating Concurrent Engineering into the Architectural Design Process

Managing Design Changes through Integrating Concurrent Engineering into the Architectural Design Process

Understanding design change propagation in complex engineering systems using a digital twin and design structure matrix

PurposeAs the engineering design process becomes increasingly complex, multidisciplinary teams need to work together, integrating diverse expertise across a range of disciplinary models. Where changes arise, these design teams often find it difficult to handle these design changes due to the complexity and interdependencies inherent in engineering systems. This paper aims to develop an innovative approach to clarifying system interdependencies and predicting the design change propagation at the asset level in complex engineering systems based on the digital-twin-driven design structure matrix (DSM).Design/methodology/approachThe paper first defines the digital-twin-driven DSM in terms of elements and interdependencies, where the authors have defined three types of interdependency, namely, geospatial, physical and logical, at the asset level. The digital twin model was then used to generate the large-scale DSMs of complex engineering systems. The cluster analysis was further conducted based on the improved Idicula–Gutierrez–Thebeau algorithm (IGTA-Plus) to decompose such DSMs into modules for the convenience and efficiency of predicting design change propagation. Finally, a design change propagation prediction method based on the digital-twin-driven DSM has been developed by integrating the change prediction method (CPM), a load-capacity model and fuzzy linguistics. A section of an infrastructure mega-project in London was selected as a case study to illustrate and validate the developed approach.FindingsThe digital-twin-driven DSM has been formally defined by the spatial algebra and Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) schema. Based on the definitions, an innovative approach has been further developed to (1) automatically generate a digital-twin-driven DSM through the use of IFC files, (2) to decompose these large-scale DSMs into modules through the use of IGTA-Plus and (3) predict the design change propagation by integrating a digital-twin-driven DSM, CPM, a load-capacity model and fuzzy linguistics. From the case study, the results showed that the developed approach can help designers to predict and manage design changes quantitatively and conveniently.Originality/valueThis research contributes to a new perspective of the DSM and digital twin for design change management and can be beneficial to assist designers in making reasonable decisions when changing the designs of complex engineering systems.

Multi-agent simulation for managing design changes in prefabricated construction projects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a multi-agent-based model for quantitatively measuring how the design change management strategies improve project performance. Design/methodology/approach Based on questionnaires and interviews, this paper investigates the coordination mechanism of risks due to design changes in prefabricated construction (PC) projects. Combined with all the variables related with design change risks, a multi-agent-based simulation model is proposed to evaluate the design change management effect. Findings The coordination mechanism between design change factors, design change events, risk consequence and management strategy in PC projects is described and then the simulation-based design change management mechanism in PC projects is used to assess the effect of management strategies under dynamic scenarios. Originality/value PC projects have rapidly increased in recent years due to the advantages of fast construction, high quality and labor savings. Different from traditional on-site construction, the impact and risk from design changes are likely to be greater due to the prefabricated project being multi-stage, highly interactive and complex. The simulations presented in this paper make it possible to test different design change management strategies in order to study their effectiveness and support managerial decision making.

Bicentric Diagrams: A Novel Approach to Manage Design Changes of Interdependent Components in Complex Systems

Complex systems can be conceived as a network of interconnected components. Such a network perspective has been used to predict how design changes in one or more components propagate to other components in the system. Despite such advances it remains an important challenge for engineering managers to identify the set of components that could potentially be affected if design changes affect two interdependent components. To address such a design challenge this paper introduces a novel approach, based on bicentric diagrams, to manage design changes of pairs of interdependent components of complex systems. Bicentric diagrams, a novel graph-based visualization technique, enable simultaneous identification of the components that would be directly or indirectly affected if design changes on a pair of interdependent components take place. We illustrate our approach by using bicentric diagrams to examine the impact of changing some critical interfaces of a climate control system and a large commercial aircraft engine.

BIM-based model for quantifying the design change time ripple effect

Design changes by owners are common to many construction projects and can cause severe delays if owners do not consider that a change in one part of the project may cause a series of changes in other parts of that project. The impact of a changed component on other unchanged components is known as the “change ripple effect”. To efficiently manage design changes, the ripple effect should be quantified and impact evaluated. This paper presents a building information modeling (BIM)-based quantification model to quantify the ripple effect of owner-requested design changes. The developed model calculates the impact of design changes and their ripple effect on a project’s total duration. After analyzing the ripple effect over time, the model updates the project schedule accordingly. To demonstrate its usefulness and illustrate its essential features, the model is applied to a case study.

Collaborative model: Managing design changes with reusable project experiences through project learning and effective communication

This paper empirically studies the importance of managing design changes in dealing with time delay and cost overruns in construction projects. The main objective of this paper is to identify the causes of design changes and the implications on the Malaysian construction projects measured in terms of cost and time. It also aims to determine how rework induced from the design changes is detrimental to project performance and to suggest recommendations on how to overcome the related problem with project learning and effective communication in building construction. To investigate the factors giving rise to design changes, a total of 43 causes were first identified through a comprehensive literature review. The factors are categorised into client, consultant, contractor, site and external-related themes. This is followed by a qualitative research study involving semi-structured interviews with 12 experienced industry practitioners comprising of clients, consultants, and contractors. Critical incident technique employing content analysis is used to analyse the interviews transcripts in detail to provide a rich picture of the causes of design changes, the implications for project delivery performance, enablers of effective communication, enablers of project learning and types of reusable project knowledge. The research findings were further integrated to develop a collaborative model to manage design changes using effective communication and project learning approach. This model highlights the importance of effective communication and project learning towards improving the level of competency and cohesiveness of project team in managing future projects. Capturing and sharing of reusable project experiences is essential towards maximising the benefits of past experiences (lessons learned), shortening the learning curve and adding value to future projects in design change management.

Design and Development of Custom Change Management Workflow Templates and Handlers for Vehicle Design Release

A large no. of automobile companies finding a convinient way to manage design changes with the use of various PLM techniques. Change in any product is something that should occur on timely basis to match up with customer requirement and cost reduction. The change made in the vehicle designs directly affects various concerned agencies. Automobile Vehicle structures contains thousands of parts and if there is any change is occurring in child parts then it becomes important to track that impacted part, propose a solution on that part and release a new assembly structure with feasible changes such that all efforts need to be done for cost reduction.

A Conceptual Framework for Managing Design Changes in Building Construction

Design changes have always been an innate feature of the construction industry. Despite the various project management techniques, many building construction projects still fail to achieve their time and cost objectives. This paper aims to focus on design changes as a major cause of time delays and cost overruns. It seeks to discuss the causing factors of design changes in building construction projects and highlighting the resulting rework that is detrimental to project performance. Hence, this paper also aims to present a conceptual framework which was developed to better manage design changes through clued-up management decision to avoid future claims and disputes. Recent and current literature is examined and reviewed. The review approach was based on related literature to identified themes. The existing literature is summarised into five discrete themes of “design changes”, “rework”, “time and cost overruns”, “communication” and “decision-making”. The synthesised literature is subsequently utilised in the development of conceptual map which provided the direction for designing the conceptual framework. Extensive review of preceding studies on causes of time and cost overruns reveals that design changes is identified as one of the significant factors. However, there are limited studies in this domain. The discussion presents a knowledge gap of linking design changes and rework with decision-making in project management. This finding suggests the need for further empirical study. The framework stresses the importance of communication and management decision as the control mechanism. Researchers and practitioners in construction management field will find this study useful in understanding the causing factors of design changes and its detrimental impacts to project performance which risk the project to claims and disputes. The conceptual framework presents an imperative outcome to encourage further research in developing conceptual causal model of design changes which shows the key causal variables and their feedback loops.

Component part quality assurance concerns and standards

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide practitioners of management with a comparative analysis of how two global firms ensure quality standards in new product development/new product manufacturability processes and manage design changes in reduced product life cycles in the current economic recession.Design/methodology/approach – The firms selected were: Newell Rubbermaid, a high‐volume manufacturer with a diverse product offering, designing and manufacturing consumer products for large retail customers, and General Electric Healthcare Coils, a low‐volume manufacturer of a niche product for the magnet resonance imaging medical diagnostic systems. This case study presented a review of the quality steps performed when they are faced with a design change to a part, benchmarking their quality processes with the highest industrial standards possible.Findings – The effective managing of engineering change has always been difficult, time consuming, and a regular source of inefficiency and irritation f...

RedesignIT—A Model-Based Tool for Managing Design Changes

RedesignIT is a computer program that uses model-based reasoning to generate and evaluate proposals of redesign plans for engineered devices. These proposals describe how the design parameters could be changed to achieve a specified performance goal. Equally important, the program proposes complementary modifications that may be necessary to counteract the undesirable side effects of the primary changes. RedesignIT is intended for use during the first stages of a redesign project, when engineers need to make a quick, yet accurate assessment of the overall effects of a particular design change. The program uses qualitative device models, which allow it to compute redesign plans efficiently. With its ability to predict the collateral, and probably undesirable, effects of a design change, the program is well suited to aid product designers in deciding on the feasibility of introducing design changes to a product.

Improving Design Coordination for Building Projects. I: Information Model

Detailed design of building projects is a complex multidisciplinary process highly dependent upon effective aggregation of individual designs to produce a coherent set of final design documents. Throughout the detailed design process, changes are frequently introduced and need to be properly managed among the various members of the design team. This paper presents an information model for storing design information, recording design rationale, and managing design changes. The proposed model is built around a central library of generalized building components that can be used to describe a complete building project hierarchy. Each component allows the designer to store desired performance criteria and related design rationale. Each component is also sensitive to its own changes and automatically communicates such changes to affected parties through preset communication paths. The model, as such, provides improved design coordination and control over changes, thus helping to increase the consistency and productivity of the overall design process. Conceptual details of the model are described in this paper, and model implementation into a collaborative design system is presented in a companion paper.

Improving Design Coordination for Building Projects. II: A Collaborative System

The objective of this paper is to utilize recent advances in information technology and computer collaboration tools to improve coordination and increase productivity in the design of building projects. Based on a structured information model, presented in a companion paper, a collaborative design system is developed incorporating (1) a client-server environment for representing building data, recording design rationale, and effectively managing design changes; and (2) Internet-based collaboration tools for sharing documents, reviewing changes, and conferencing among remote design participants. Implementation issues and the perceived changes imposed on the traditional design process are discussed, and an example application is worked to demonstrate the applicability and features of the developed prototype. The developments made in this paper provide guidelines for modeling complex information-dependent processes in the construction domain.

Managing Design Changes for Multiview Models

Coordination of design changes is important because, if the design changes are not properly managed, design conflicts will result in more expensive design or even failure in the design-construction process. Geometric modification has been a routine for design activities. However, the facility of existing systems for managing changes in multiview models is still inadequate. This paper presents a novel parametric approach using a knowledge-based constraint solving method to incorporate the projection knowledge and graphic inference to address the issue of design changes for multiview models. A corresponding multiview constraint solver has been developed. This knowledge-based constraint solver can be combined with the linking knowledge between building components to facilitate the coordination of design information for multiview models. Illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed parametric approach for design change management.

Parametric Coordinator for Engineering Design

Coordination of design information is essential for the design team to provide accurate technical documents for the actual construction. Design changes are inevitable during any ordinary building project. If the design changes are not properly managed, design conflicts will be created, which will result in more expensive design or even failure in the design-construction process. However, little research has been done to address the issue and thereby provide tools for the management of design changes. This paper presents a novel approach that can facilitate the coordination of design information through managing design changes with the help of a parametric coordinator. Design changes of dimensions between different building components are specially discussed. The proposed parametric coordinator provides each building component with the linking knowledge that is described as a dimensional property and a reference property. A group design method is applied to check the design consistency. Illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed parametric approach for design change management.

Information Model for Managing Design Changes in a Collaborative Environment

Coordination of design information during the detailed design stage is essential for the design team to provide quality construction technical documents that are free of incompatibility errors. An analysis concerning current design coordination practices in the building industry revealed that design changes constitute a major cause of failure. More specifically, propagation of changes among the various design disciplines is deficient due to lack of required “linking” knowledge. Such knowledge is necessary to propagate the effect of a design change by one discipline on the other disciplines involved in the design of a building. This paper presents an information model that aims to help the coordination of design information through managing design changes. The model uses a central database, which is developed not only to carry the building components data, but also to make these components active in assisting the coordination process. In addition to its ability to propagate design changes, the model is cap...

Managing Design Changes

The DEFINITY® Communications System represents a commitment to protect customer investment in AT&T's private branch exchange (PBX) hardware. The DEFINITY Communications System family provides a premises-based migration path for customers who require from 40 to 32,000 lines. The DEFINITY Communications System development teams used two strategies to fulfill this commitment: First, we incorporated existing product designs wherever possible. Second, we designed most new hardware so it could be used in more than one system (e.g., PBX, voice mail). (See Panel 1 for definitions of abbreviations and terms.) These strategies resulted in a significant pool of common-hardware designs and eventually required changes to some product lines. Despite our planning, we lacked a change-management process to oversee the development of common hardware. To overcome this problem, we applied a customer-supplier model, <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sup> which improved our documentation, communication among the product-line organizations, and the method we use to coordinate change. The new process, which incorporates the best of existing practices, has enabled us to merge different product architecture and design organizations, reduce product-development intervals, and improve the quality of the product sold to our customers.