The Role of Configuration Knowledge in the Business Process [Configuration Roundtable]

need. Ideally, we want a generic form of component representation for use by all engineering processes, including configu-rators. Accomplishing this goal offers potential benefit beyond configurators. For example, it should also support product design, manufacturing-process design, and simulation. If we could automatically incorporate this representation into our con-figurators, we would eliminate the translation step. In addition, we need a configu-rator engine that can work without manual coding of rules that direct its execution. Accomplishing these two goals will let businesses significantly improve their product-realization process. Lucent Technologies has used configura-tors to help manage the sale and manufacture of complex products for about 20 years. Configurators take as input features and functions wanted by customers and produce a parts list that can be priced and assembled. While our older configurators are rule based, we have recently begun using a constraint-based reasoning tool for config-urator implementation. Although they are quite helpful to sales and manufacturing departments, configura-tors create problems when we want to re-engineer the process that gets products to market. Because configurators take time to create and change, they can become a bottleneck in the product-realization process. Consequently, we want to reduce the time JULY/AUGUSll998 and cost associated with creating and maintaining configurators. Currently, the configurator-management process includes two costly and time-consuming steps that must be reduced or eliminated. These steps involve translating engineering specifications into a format the configurators understand and coding rules to control the configurator-execution process. The constraint-based configuration tool has not solved these problems. This tool requires manual translation of component information into its format, as well as programming of rules that guide and structure the constraint-resolution process. We need a more automated solution. As a potential benefit of the constraint-based approach. its basic function is based on component (part) definition. Once the resources required and offered by each component are specified, the constraint-resolution process can select and balance the resources needed to satisfy a customer When considering an addition, augmentation , or change to a business process, businesses evaluate a technology or tool in terms of its return on investment. Does the expected or perceived benefit outpace the expected or perceived cost in some finite time? Business managers measure benefit to the business in terms of improvement in business-process efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency improvements increase customer satisfaction and raise the business process's profitability. Managers measure them in terms of reductions in time or effort for some …