Research

Sector: Private

Industry: Construction

Domain: Tunnels

Describe

Organization. The design and construction of a tunnel involves 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 conflicts between the partial designs, they resolve them and modify their partial designs.

Environmental factors. 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.

Issues. The more conflicts between partial designs, the more effort, time, and money it takes to resolve them.

Present

Goal. Increase performance.

Objective. Minimise the number of conflicts between partial designs.

Benefits. Easier co-creation, less design costs, and more profit.

Identify

• Production / Delivery / Solution formulation:
  • Develop a conflict-free partial design.
  • Combine partial designs into an integral design.

Compare

• Stakeholder needs:
  • Develop a conflict-free partial design.
  • Combine partial designs into an integral design.

Characterize

• Knowledge:
  • Combine partial designs into an integral design.
• Experience:
  • Develop a conflict-free partial design.

Appraise

• No presence:
  • Develop a conflict-free partial design.

• Full presence:
  • Combine partial designs into an integral design.

Acquire

• System. Define a formal meta-model of designs as follows:
  1. Define an ontology of designs.
  2. Transform the ontology of designs into a formal meta-model.
• System. Create a digital repository of designs as follows:
  1. Create a digital repository.
  2. Implement the formal meta-model of designs in the digital repository.
• System. Create standard operating procedures for the following activities:
  • Manage a formal meta-model of designs.
  • Manage a digital repository of designs.
  • Develop a conflict-free partial design.

• Skills. Train designers in the following activities:
  • Manage a formal meta-model of designs.
  • Manage a digital repository of designs.
  • Develop a conflict-free partial design.

Sector: Private

Industry: Aerospace

Domain: Aircraft

Describe

Organization. A team of designers is tasked to design a series aircraft. The team consists of senior designers and junior designers. When confronted with design issues, junior designers tend to slow down if no senior designers are looking over their shoulders or sparring with them.

Environmental factors. Competition with other aircraft manufacturers.

Issues. Less access to the capabilities of senior designers leads to more time and effort to resolve a design issue.

Present

Goal. Increase performance.

Objective. Increase access to capabilities for designing a series aircraft.

Benefits. More adaptation, shorter design lead time, more growth.

Identify

• Production / Delivery / Strategy formulation:
  • Design a new aircraft in an existing series.
    • Retrieve the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Reuse the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Revise the design rationale of aircraft.
    • Retain the design rationale of aircraft.

Compare

• Organizational strategy:
  • Design a new aircraft in an existing series.
    • Retrieve the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Reuse the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Revise the design rationale of aircraft.
    • Retain the design rationale of aircraft.

Characterize

• Experience:
  • Design a new aircraft in an existing series.
    • Retrieve the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Reuse the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Revise the design rationale of aircraft.
    • Retain the design rationale of aircraft.

Appraise

• Multiple presence:
  • Design a new aircraft in an existing series.
    • Retrieve the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Reuse the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Revise the design rationale of aircraft.
    • Retain the design rationale of aircraft.

Anchor

• System. Elicit and include as instructions in the standard operating procedure:
  • Design a new aircraft in an existing series.
    • Retrieve the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Reuse the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series.
    • Revise the design rationale of aircraft.
    • Retain the design rationale of aircraft.
• Skills. Train junior designers in the standard operating procedure.