| Increased competition in the automotive industry necessitates the creation of a new generation of manufacturing and managerial strategies. Vehicle development has a long cycle time involving multiple disciplines, and conflicting requirements. Complexity arises not only from the engineering of a large-scale system, but also from difficulties in managing the design process. It is important for engineers and managers to realize that the essential properties of this system come from the interaction of its components, modules, and subsystems, not their actions taken separately. A concurrent engineering approach organizes the relationships among components, and structures the process so that the overall development time is minimized.;This dissertation focuses on concurrent engineering implementation and management from an information perspective. We developed new and efficient strategies to better manage (plan, structure, and organize) the design process in order to perform faster product development. The concurrent aspects of the design and the minimization of feedback (iteration) loops were explored. Specifically, we focused on deciding which design tasks can be performed concurrently, sequentially, or with partial overlap. The associated levels of risk and cost were quantified. Finally, we presented a unified framework that can be used as a structured approach for implementing and managing concurrent engineering practice. |
