Research

Situation

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 availability of information needed for design is limited. During execution, time and money are limited.

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

Ambition

Objective. Minimise the number of conflicts between partial designs.

Benefits. Less design effort and lower design costs.

Analysis. Worth pursuing.

Identify

Critical capabilities to minimise the number of conflicts between partial designs:

• (Deliver a design service)
  • Develop conflict-free partial designs [implicit].
  • Develop an integral design [implicit].

Compare

Expected contributions of critical capabilities:

• Reputation:
  • Develop conflict-free partial designs.
  • Develop an integral design.

Appraise

Presence of critical capabilities in the design team:

• Absence:
  • Develop conflict-free partial designs.

• Organizational presence:
  • Develop an integral design.

Route

Directions for the development of critical capabilities:

• Increase:
  • Develop conflict-free partial designs.
• Maintain:
  • Develop an integral design.

Unite

High-ranked capabilities to form unique capabilities:

• Combine:
  • Develop conflict-free partial designs.
  • Develop an integral design.

Secure

Unique capabilities in the organization of the design team:

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

• Skills. Train designers in the following activities:
  • (Manage a design service)
    • Manage the formal meta-model of integral designs.
    • Manage the digital repository of integral designs.
  • (Deliver a design service)
    • Develop a conflict-free part of an integral design.

Situation

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. Lesser accessibility of the knowledge of senior designers leads to more time and effort to resolve a design issue.

Ambition

Objective. Reduce the time needed to design a series aircraft.

Benefits. Less design effort and lower design costs.

Analysis. Worth pursuing.

Identify

Critical capabilities to reduce the time needed to design a series aircraft:

• (Deliver a design service)
  • Design a new aircraft in an existing series [tacit].
  • Retrieve the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series [implicit].
  • Reuse the design rationale of another aircraft in the same series [implicit].
  • Revise the design rationale of aircraft [implicit].
  • Retain the design rationale of aircraft [implicit].

Compare

Contributions of critical capabilities:

• 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.

Appraise

Presence of critical capabilities in the design team:

• Group presence:
  • 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.
• Organizational presence:
  • Design a new aircraft in an existing series.

Route

Directions for the development of critical capabilities:

• Increase:
  • 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.
• Maintain:
  • Design a new aircraft in an existing series.

Unite

High-ranked capabilities to form unique capabilities:

• Combine:
  • 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.

Secure

Unique capabilities in the organization of the design team:

• System. Elicit and include as instructions in the standard operating procedure:
  • (Deliver a design service)
    • 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 executing the standard operating procedure.