Managing Dependencies in the Product Development Process with Semantic Technologies

Managing the increasing complexity in product development requires describing and analyzing the dependencies within and between multiple domains, such as the customers’ requirements or the product components. The Design Structure Matrix (DSM) and the Domain Mapping Matrix (DMM) approach provide well-established methods and tools to address this challenge (e.g. [1, 2]). We claim that Semantic Technologies can facilitate and enhance analysis in the scope of classic DSM/DMM approaches. Semantic technologies are a solution to represent complex domains in a formal manner and are a promising approach to handle complexity within businesses. In the paper, we will show how ontologies can be used for describing and analyzing dependencies in a multi-domain setting and discuss how this approach differs from DSM/DMM approaches and how to use them together. A use case from the automotive industry with focus on the product development process illustrates our approach to using semantic technologies for dependency management.