Modeling structural Change over Time – requirements and first methods

Products are the subject of a continuous optimization process in order to be adapted to the fast changing market conditions and customer requirements. Product development grows more and more complex to match the increasing market complexity. Even small, apparently unimportant product changes may lead to far reaching impacts on the product structure or product development process. These dynamic changes in product structure have to be modeled in order to allow for a thorough system analysis and deriving predictions concerning further changes. Matrix based methods like the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) or the Domain Mapping Matrix (DMM) are often used to describe those structures. Both matrices have been combined to form the Multiple-Domain Matrix (MDM). The MDM enables the depiction of a system from different perspectives, i.e. domains. This paper presents the requirements for a method to model structural change over time.     «

Products are the subject of a continuous optimization process in order to be adapted to the fast changing market conditions and customer requirements. Product development grows more and more complex to match the increasing market complexity. Even small, apparently unimportant product changes may lead to far reaching impacts on the product structure or product development process. These dynamic changes in product structure have to be modeled in order to allow for a thorough system analysis and de...     »