AN APPLICATION OF THE DESIGN STRUCTURE MATRIX METHODOLOGY TO INTEGRATED CONCURRENT ENGINEERING
- Paper number
IAC-08.D3.4.-E5.4.1
- Author
Mr. Mark Avnet, Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Annalisa Weigel, Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to integrate two distinct frameworks for managing complexity in the design and development of complex aerospace systems. In recent years, NASA, ESA, and several commercial aerospace companies have adopted the practice of Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) to increase the pace of conceptual design and to better meet stakeholders’ needs by bringing together all relevant personnel in the same room to conduct focused one-week design studies. In this type of environment, physical and bureaucratic barriers to communication are broken down so that design tasks that once took months or even years to accomplish can be completed in a matter of days. The Design Structure Matrix (DSM), on the other hand, is a project management tool used to optimize complex product development processes. As the name implies, the DSM provides a means of describing all the tasks involved in a project using a matrix format. Through manipulation of this matrix, interdependencies and coupled tasks can be identified. Partitioning (or reordering) the matrix can result in a more efficient plan for implementing the program. Although some prior work has examined the use of the DSM to improve concurrent engineering in full development programs, the methodology has not been applied in a formal way to the intensive early-stage conceptual design studies conducted in the ICE environment. Indeed, the integration of these two frameworks at first can seem counterintuitive. Whereas the goal of the DSM is to decouple independent tasks and to identify those that are inherently coupled, the purpose of concurrent design is to foster continuous communication so that tasks do not need to be decoupled at all. Nevertheless, concurrent design is characterized by complex information flow, constant feedback, and multiple design iterations. Thus, as this paper argues, the concurrent design process can be more effectively managed through the application of the DSM methodology. Based on observations of 15 design sessions at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Mission Design Lab (MDL) and surveys distributed to the members of the team, the paper proposes a framework for implementing the DSM methodology in a concurrent design environment. Depending on the nature of the specific design task, this framework may be used simply to improve understanding of information flow in the conceptual design phase so that downstream development can be more effectively managed. In certain cases, however, the proposed framework can lead to improved products from the ICE environment and ultimately to the development of more innovative and cost-effective aerospace systems in the future.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.D3.4.-E5.4.1.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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