文档介绍：DEVELOPMENT OF A PRODUCT MODEL TO SUPPORT ENGINEERING CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Timothy Jarratt
Engineering Design Centre
University of Cambridge
UK
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Claudia Eckert
P. John Clarkson
Engineering Design Centre
University of Cambridge
UK
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ABSTRACT
Engineering change is a topic of increasing interest as firms strive to quicken their development processes to better meet customer needs. Making an alteration to a design is not always simple – the execution of a change can lead to unexpected consequences as propagation may occur causing other parts or systems to be affected, some of which may not even be directly connected to the initially ponent. Predicting if an alteration will spread, especially plex products made up of many highly connected parts, can be very difficult. Engineers need more support with the evaluation of proposed engineering changes. This paper describes the creation of a diesel engine product model, which highlights the key linkages within the engine and rates the likelihood and impact of changes propagating. Validation of the model indicates that it could provide support for the evaluation of engineering change.
KEYWORDS
engineering change management, product models
INTRODUCTION
Over the past few decades, companies that design and manufacture products have witnessed dramatic changes to the environment in which they operate. Intense petition, dramatic advances in technology and the creation of fragmented markets populated by sophisticated customers have lead to a situation of rapidly shortening product life cycles and the demand for customised offerings (Clark & Fujimoto, 1991). In order to survive, firms must improve the efficiency of their product design processes and cut development times (Smith & Reinersten, 1998).
One of the key procedures connected with product design and development is the engineering change process. Although, employees often regarded making alterations to parts, drawings a