Structural Complexity Management using domain-spanning structural criteria

Manufacturing technical products implies complex design processes as well as complex product architectures. While there are many facets to evaluate such processes and architectures, one perspective is to characterize products and their design processes by their underlying structures. In order to handle and manage such structures, various methods e.g. from systems engineering can be used. With the introduction of the Design Structure Matrix (DSM)-Methodology in the 80ies, more and more scientists developed algorithms and discovered structural criteria. However, comparing and evaluating the criteria of a complex structure makes it necessary to interpret underlying patterns, different structural criteria and then evaluate their impacts. To do so, structural complexity management provides different analysis criteria for comparing and assessing the system’s underlying structures. Concerning the DSM-Methodology, there are many structural criteria, which help in describing patterns included in single domains. However, there is no systematically approach in order to interpret structural criteria with entities related to more than one domain. This paper closes this gap by interpreting domain-spanning structural criteria and complements the existing possibilities to evaluate system’s underlying structures, i.e. the particular interaction of a system’s elements and their interdependencies. The paper is structured as follows: After defining relevant terms in section 2, a short review of the current research in structural complexity management is presented in section 3. Section 4 presents an approach for using structural meanings considering “components” and “employee”. Therefore, the structure of a race car and its design processes is analysed. Finally, the paper proposes an outlook how structural meanings should be used.     «

Manufacturing technical products implies complex design processes as well as complex product architectures. While there are many facets to evaluate such processes and architectures, one perspective is to characterize products and their design processes by their underlying structures. In order to handle and manage such structures, various methods e.g. from systems engineering can be used. With the introduction of the Design Structure Matrix (DSM)-Methodology in the 80ies, more and more scientists...     »