A QFD-based method to support SMEs in benchmarking co-design tools

Efficient collaborative product design is crucial for extended enterprises willing to develop complex products pursuing a short time to market. However, successful collaborative product design depends on the ability to effectively manage and share engineering knowledge and data throughout the entire product development process. Co-design software platforms aim to facilitate cooperation in distributed teams. In the context of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) the advanced co-design software implementation to support the supply chain is not a trivial task. SMEs have peculiar characteristics such as flexibility, ICT skills and financial resources, which are difficult to be integrated within a structured design network. This paper presents a method to define and evaluate a co-design platform dedicated to SMEs in the mechanical product field. System architecture is defined by applying suitable metrics based on collaborative process characteristics in order to assess functionality performance of the available tools. Benchmarking is based on different levels of collaboration recognized in the typical product development process in SMEs. Correlation between process metrics, software functionalities and specific collaboration requirements is managed by adopting Quality Function Deployment (QFD) techniques. A practical case study allows the robustness of the proposed method to be verified and the main advantages and future developments to be discussed.

[1]  Leila Alem,et al.  How 3D Interaction Metaphors Affect User Experience in Collaborative Virtual Environment , 2011, Adv. Hum. Comput. Interact..

[2]  Soonhung Han,et al.  A method and tool for human-human interaction and instant collaboration in CSCW-based CAD , 2006, Comput. Ind..

[3]  Yuh-Min Chen,et al.  Enabling collaborative product design through distributed engineering knowledge management , 2008, Comput. Ind..

[4]  C. H. Dorst,et al.  The role of the design context in practice and in design methodology , 2001 .

[5]  Paul G. Maropoulos,et al.  Open standard, open source and peer-to-peer tools and methods for collaborative product development , 2005, Comput. Ind..

[6]  H. Rex Hartson,et al.  Developing user interfaces: ensuring usability through product & process , 1993 .

[7]  Valerie Botta-Genoulaz,et al.  A framework to analyse collaborative performance , 2007, Comput. Ind..

[8]  Fazhi He,et al.  Collaborative Naming for Replicated Collaborative Solid Modeling System , 2008 .

[9]  Patty Curthoys,et al.  Developing user interfaces: Ensuring usability through product and process , 1997 .

[10]  Yoke San Wong,et al.  Collaborative computer-aided design - research and development status , 2005, Comput. Aided Des..

[11]  Austin Henderson,et al.  Interaction Analysis: Foundations and Practice , 1995 .

[12]  Ahmed Al-Ashaab,et al.  Knowledge web-based system architecture for collaborative product development , 2005, Comput. Ind..

[13]  Jérémy Legardeur,et al.  Implementation of collaborative design processes into PLM systems , 2008 .

[14]  Yvon Bigras,et al.  The Characteristics and Features of SMEs: Favorable or Unfavorable to Logistics Integration? , 2004 .

[15]  A. Gunasekaran,et al.  A framework for supply chain performance measurement , 2004 .

[16]  Klaus-Dieter Thoben,et al.  Typological issues in enterprise networks , 2001 .

[17]  Steven J. Fenves,et al.  A foundation for interoperability in next-generation product development systems , 2001, Comput. Aided Des..

[18]  Joey Bernal.  Web 2.0 and Social Networking for the Enterprise: Guidelines and Examples for Implementation and Management Within Your Organization , 2009 .

[19]  Weiming Shen,et al.  Computer supported collaborative design: Retrospective and perspective , 2008, Comput. Ind..

[20]  Nick Bryan-Kinns,et al.  Exploring mutual engagement in creative collaborations , 2007, C&C '07.

[21]  Andy Dong,et al.  Investigating the Affective Force on Creating Shared Understanding , 2007 .

[22]  Louis Cohen,et al.  Quality Function Deployment: How to Make QFD Work for You , 1995 .

[23]  J. Browne,et al.  Development of an extended enterprise performance measurement system , 2005 .