Modelling design processes to improve robustness
Year: 2006
Editor: S. Vajna
Author: Chalupnik, M- J.; Eckert, C. M.; Clarkson, P. J.
Abstract
The success of any manufacturing company depends ultimately on the effectiveness and efficiency of ist product development. However, "few development projects fully deliver on their early promises" [REP-01] as "much can and does go wrong during during development" [WHE-92]. Although new technologies, new project management tools and information and knowledge management systems all facilitate better execution of big projects. Uncertainty prevails as evident from an invariably high number of big engineering projects that fail to come in on time and on budge ([ELT-98], [EVA-05], [FOR-03], [MAT-03]). The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the ramifications of a project's failure are not only financial; demoralization of employees who have succeeded in delivering their share of the work can also be detrimental to the company's future projects [MAT-03].
Keywords: unvertainty, design process modelling, robust processes