Engineering design processes are complex systems resulting from complex tasks. While the definition and management of engineering design processes are important tasks, as evidenced by empirical studies, a number of unsolved research questions persists in literature. Within this paper, current research issues identified in a literature review are compared with results from empirical studies in order to triangulate the most pressing research issues. Currently, two interview studies have been conducted with small-to-medium sized enterprises and startups of varying sizes: a case study concerning process development within an engineering department of a global enterprise, and an observation of a workshop to define a new product development process in another global enterprise. As a result, two issues have been concretized: A lack of methodology concerning the development of company-specific standard engineering design processes and a lack of flexibility and adaptability of these standard processes in practice due to different project contexts. Consequently, a first draft for a methodology to support the development of flexible and adaptable engineering design processes has been developed. The methodology combines traditional process-development activities with a bottom-up analysis of project contexts and influencing factors. The methodology currently represents a work in progress and its constituent steps will guide further research activities.      «

Engineering design processes are complex systems resulting from complex tasks. While the definition and management of engineering design processes are important tasks, as evidenced by empirical studies, a number of unsolved research questions persists in literature. Within this paper, current research issues identified in a literature review are compared with results from empirical studies in order to triangulate the most pressing research issues. Curr...     »