Research

Designers from several disciplines coordinate their work to design a tunnel. This post describes a scientific case study of how to produce an integral design more efficiently.

Sector: Private

Industry: Construction

Domain: Tunnels

Current situation

Context. A tunnel engineering project is a tender project. In the preparation phase, the information needed for design is limited. During execution, time and money are limited.

Way of working. The design and construction of a tunnel involves a team of designers from seven different disciplines. In a tunnel engineering project, they produce seven partial designs of a tunnel, one for each discipline, together forming an integral design. When they find alignment conflicts in the integral design, they resolve them by modifying their partial designs.

Position. The more alignment conflicts in an integral design, the more time it takes to resolve them.

Ambition

Challenge. Prevent alignment conflicts in integral designs.
Objective. Efficient production of integral designs.
Indicator. Delivery lead time.

Capability

Function. Draft a design | Create a design strategy.
Content. Divide and conquer to design a tunnel:

REPEAT
1. Develop a discipline-specific partial design.
2. Combine all discipline-specific partial designs into an integral tunnel design.
3. Check if the design task is done, that is, the integral tunnel design fulfills all objectives set in the design brief and does not produce conflicts.
UNTIL The design task is done.

Contribution. Efficient production of integral designs: negative.
Kind. Strategy.
Nature. Knowledge.
Market position. Equal advantage.
Merits. Stakeholder needs.
Priority. Now.
Action. Eliminate.

Capability

Function. Draft a design | Create a design strategy.
Content. Coordinate activities to design a tunnel:

REPEAT
1. Access the shared design space reserved for the design task.
2. Select a discipline-specific viewpoint on the design space.
3. Develop a discipline-specific part of an integral tunnel design.
4. Check if the design task is done, that is, the integral tunnel design fulfills all objectives set in the design brief and does not produce conflicts.
UNTIL The design task is done.

Contribution. Efficient production of integral designs: positive.
Kind. Strategy.
Nature. Knowledge.
Market position. Temporary advantage.
Merits. Stakeholder needs.
Priority. Now.
Action. Document, teach, and learn.

The design of a series aircraft is based on that of a predecessor: a prototype or another series aircraft. This article describes a scientific case study of how a design team can design a series aircraft more effectively.

Sector: Private

Industry: Manufacturing

Domain: Series aircraft

Current situation

Context. Competition with other aircraft manufacturers.

Way of working. A team of designers is tasked to design an extended version of an aircraft. Such a team generally consists of senior designers and junior designers. When confronted with new design issues, junior designers tend to invent new solutions, whereas senior designers tend to focus on solutions that secure aircraft certification.

Position. More novelty in an aircraft design results in a lower chance of timely aircraft certification. The latter is a requirement for an aircraft to be allowed onto the market.

Ambition

Challenge. Standardize the way senior designers innovate.
Objective. Effective aircraft certification.
Indicator. Time to market.

Capability

Function. Draft a design | Create a design strategy.
Content. Propose and revise to design an extended version of an aircraft:

1. Define problem P to be solved for the extended version of aircraft A.
2. Assess to which extent the solution for aircraft A solves problem P.
3. Modify the solution for aircraft A such that it solves problem P.

Contribution. Effective aircraft certification: positive.
Kind. Strategy.
Nature. Knowledge.
Market position. Unused advantage.
Merits. Organization strategy, Regulatory.
Priority. Now.
Action. Document, teach, and learn.