Showing papers in "IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management in 1996"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the relationship between the popular time to market acceleration techniques and product development time in a sample of electronics companies and find that only four of the 12 techniques studied are significantly related with development time performance as proposed.
Abstract: Bringing new products to the marketplace faster has become a strategic imperative in many markets, especially high technology industries. Much attention has focused on techniques purported to bring products to the market more quickly, but little empirical research has been conducted to validate these techniques. This study tests the relationship between the popular time to market acceleration techniques and product development time in a sample of electronics companies. Our findings suggest that only four of the 12 techniques we studied are significantly related with development time performance as proposed. We found that fast developers had teams that were cross functional, dedicated, included fast time to market as a development goal, and overlapped development activities more so than slow developers. Our regression results were very significant, and accounted for 32% of the variance in development time performance. We concluded, however, given many of techniques were not supported that successful fast cycle development can not be accomplished by using a sporadic combination of factors. Furthermore, we feel additional research is needed to explore the interaction and mediating effects of these techniques upon each other, as well as identify other intermediate processes and external conditions that may also affect product development effectiveness.
255 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of Japanese and 119 US automotive parts suppliers who design their own products sought to quantify the pervasiveness and correlates of set-based approaches, and found that setbased design communication is more prevalent among Japanese than among US parts suppliers.
Abstract: Concurrent engineering (CE) involves a widely recognized revolution in the social organization of product development and a corresponding revolution in the underlying paradigm of design. We distinguish between two paradigms-point-based design and set-based design-and argue that effective, truly concurrent design requires shifting to a paradigm where design team members reason and communicate about sets of designs which we call "set-based concurrent engineering". A survey of 92 Japanese and 119 US automotive parts suppliers who design their own products sought to quantify the pervasiveness and correlates of "set-based approaches". The survey evidence indicates that set-based design communication is more prevalent among Japanese than among US parts suppliers, and is correlated with certain product development characteristics including years of experience with early involvement of suppliers in design, the degree of product-process design overlap, the degree to which subsystems are interdependent, and the use of quality function deployment (QFD).
226 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the practice of concurrent engineering in terms of process concurrency and the impact of concurrency on success of product development projects based on 50 cross-national projects from companies in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom and the United States in the aerospace, automobile, chemical, computer, electronics, shipbuilding, and telecommunications industries.
Abstract: This study examines the practice of concurrent engineering (CE) in terms of process concurrency, and the impact of concurrency on success of product development projects. The study is based on 50 cross-national projects from companies in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, and the United States in the aerospace, automobile, chemical, computer, electronics, shipbuilding, and telecommunications industries. Four dimensions of process and behaviors of engineering/R&D and manufacturing members of cross-functional product development teams were reliably operationalized: (1) two-way communication, (2) overlapping problem solving, (3) readiness to make decisions on the basis of uncertain and ambiguous information, and (4) readiness to release uncertain and ambiguous information. These dimensions of process concurrency were found to be reliable predictors of development projects' success, as measured by product cost and quality, project schedule and budget performance, and project team satisfaction. The paper offers implications for theory and practice and models of CE management for future research.
176 citations
TL;DR: A taxonomy of international R&D structures is proposed in this paper, which is based on the findings of field research on 12 multinational companies and shows that the shape of the structure is dependent on the type of research activity, namely the longer time horizon of the research activity the more dispersed structure tend to be.
Abstract: The increasing dispersion of R&D laboratories in different countries force multinational firms to take a global view in managing their research operations and to make efforts to coordinate their dispersed R&D. Few studies have so far investigated whether or not international R&D structures exist, and how forms of division of labor, interdependencies, and coordination among geographically dispersed units take place. This paper proposes a taxonomy of international R&D structures and attempts to identify why and how they are designed as they are. It is based on the findings of field research on 12 multinational companies. It shows that the shape of the structure is dependent on the type of R&D activity, namely the longer time horizon of the research activity the more dispersed structure tend to be. Moreover, the structural outcome seems to be strongly influenced by two variables: the degree of dispersion of external sources of knowledge, and the degree of dispersion of the key internal R&D resources. These factors in turn are dependent on both industry- and firm-specific variables. This helps explain why the international R&D structural outcome varies from industry to industry and from firm to firm within the same industry.
151 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have focused on two fundamental constructs of dynamic capabilities, technological learning and strategic flexibility, and discerned their influence on organizational performance, and found support for their basic argument, but observed that the strategic flexibility factors are related with the variables in a more complex way.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to better understand strategic management using the dynamic capabilities approach. The authors have focused on two fundamental constructs of dynamic capabilities, technological learning and strategic flexibility, and discerned their influence on organizational performance. Their main argument has been that a firm's strategic flexibility moderates the relationship between technological learning and technological performance as evidenced by new product development. Their model is based on the synthesis of the traditions of research in strategic and technology management. Technological learning has been defined in two dimensions: internal and external learning. Strategic flexibility has been operationalized in financial, marketing, manufacturing, and technological dimensions. Data from the US ethical pharmaceutical industry for 1977-1991 have been used to test their hypotheses. Although they found support for their basic argument, they have observed that the strategic flexibility factors are related with the variables in a more complex way. Furthermore, internal learning involves a different process than learning from external sources. The robustness of their finding is due to the longitudinal data and objective indicators used in measuring the constructs. Implications for further research and managerial actions are also discussed.
142 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the managerial implications of a model-based framework to manage the risks involving the simultaneous execution of coupled development phases, and discuss the changes in organizational perspective required for successful simultaneous product development.
Abstract: Concurrent engineering (CE) calls for the simultaneous execution of coupled product development phases. One approach to simultaneous execution involves performing a downstream information absorbing product development phase concurrently with an information supplying upstream phase. However, such simultaneous execution of coupled phases, in the absence of careful management, can lead to substantial deterioration in the product development performance. In this paper, the author presents the managerial implications of a model-based framework to manage the risks involving the simultaneous execution of coupled development phases. He describes how the framework would apply to an automobile instrument panel development process, and discusses the changes in organizational perspective required for successful simultaneous product development.
124 citations
TL;DR: This paper demonstrates how the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) can be used for supporting a generic logistics benchmarking process and forms the basic framework for a continuous logistics benchmarked process.
Abstract: In the increasingly turbulent environment, logistics strategic management has become a necessity for achieving competitive advantage. The use of benchmarking is widening as a technique for supporting logistics strategic management. Benchmarking can be described as the search for the best practices leading to a superior performance of a company. In this paper, we demonstrate how the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) can be used for supporting a generic logistics benchmarking process. First, the customers of a company are interviewed in order to define the logistic critical success factors and to determine their importance. The performance levels of the companies to be benchmarked are then evaluated with regard to each success factor. Second, the factors enabling the companies to achieve superior logistics performance are determined and prioritized with respect to each success factor. Third, the strengths, weaknesses, and problems of the company conducting the benchmarking process are analyzed and prioritized with respect to each enabler. Then the potential developmental actions for achieving superior logistics performance are defined and prioritized. In addition to supporting the three steps mentioned above, the AHP-based approach forms the basic framework for a continuous logistics benchmarking process.
114 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how external/internal linkages held by overseas R&D labs affect autonomy-control tension within multinational corporations (MNCs), managerial dilemmas pertinent to international research management are discussed.
Abstract: By examining how external/internal linkages held by overseas R&D labs affect autonomy-control tension within multinational corporations (MNCs), managerial dilemmas pertinent to international R&D management are discussed, especially in the context of internationalization of Japanese R&D in Europe. R&D is liable to be affected by high autonomy-control tension due to countervailing institutional forces at the functional level (research/corporate) and the geographical level (host country/home country). The external linkages an overseas R&D lab develops tend to increase the expected degree of local autonomy vis-a-vis the parent. The external linkages tend to increase the need for internal control on the part of the parent, especially when such sensitive issues as intellectual property rights and research initiatives are involved. Managers use internal linkages as a condition based on which local autonomy can be granted. Similarly, a high degree of internal linkages tends to decrease the difficulty of internal control and would even allow for some potential increase in local autonomy. An alternative multinational linkage strategy becomes necessary for the Japanese MNCs in the era of global R&D management in which the conventional social/cultural control mechanism may break down. This paper attempts to provide a basic framework which enables the association of such differences in linkage patterns with autonomy-control tension in a systematic way so that some new insight would be obtained regarding this classic yet unresolved tension.
102 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-agent framework is proposed to develop product design and planning using the concurrent engineering approach, which integrates a blackboard architecture with an intelligent agent (IA) network to provide information that will help teams of designers, engineers and managers from various functional areas improve initial designs so that they satisfy a wider variety of concerns.
Abstract: This paper proposes a multi-agent framework to develop product design and planning using the concurrent engineering approach. The ideas in the framework draw on design-team behavior in many domains. The goal is to provide information that will help teams of designers, engineers and managers from various functional areas improve initial designs so that they satisfy a wider variety of concerns. Our model provides support to bring together constraints from the different team members in the development cycle. By integrating downstream constraints into the design phase, we reduce the need for redesign (due to design mistakes) later in the product development cycle. Our framework integrates a blackboard architecture with an intelligent agent (IA) network. Our methodology uses conflict-resolution (CR) techniques and design-improvement suggestions to refine the initial product design, and process plan generation and simulation to verify the manufacturability of the design. The contributions of the paper are threefold. First, our framework provides a more realistic way of modeling design teams by providing a way to model an individual team member's perspective as a segment of a continuum of task knowledge. Second, we identify the essential components of concurrent engineering needs, and develop a framework for integrating these components so as to ensure adequate coordination among the processes involved. Third, our methodology uniquely meshes together design constraints with factory resource considerations, so that the final product design is ensured to be feasible and manufacturable.
85 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the organization and autonomy of internationally dispersed R&D facilities and their influence on the success of R&Ds from the point of view of their headquarters.
Abstract: The organization and autonomy of internationally dispersed R&D facilities and their influence on the success of R&D are analyzed from the point of view of their headquarters. It is shown that different organizational structures for internationally dispersed R&D are connected with specific degrees of autonomy. The three classical success factors-timing, performance, and budgeting-for measuring project success can be identified. Although quite a few R&D facilities are left with a high degree of autonomy, these units are not perceived, with respect to these success factors, to be as successful as those facilities with a lower degree of autonomy and a low degree of centralization.
81 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of an extensive study of the effects of very early investments in automated teller machines (ATMs) by banks, on market share and overall bank performance spanning the period from 1971 to 1984 and includes 2534 banks from across the United States.
Abstract: There is evidence to indicate that the effects of new product and service innovations change over time as a result of learning and competition. However, there have not been any studies of the effects of learning and competition on the impacts of innovative information technology (IT) applications. This paper presents the results of an extensive study of the effects of very early investments in automated teller machines (ATMs) by banks, on market share and overall bank performance. The study spans the period from 1971 to 1984 and includes 2534 banks from across the United States. The results indicate that the impacts of early ATM investments can best be described by exponential and logistic models, indicating that the benefits were very small at first, but increased rapidly after a few years. In addition, the benefits obtained by the earliest adopters were larger than those obtained by the banks that adopted later. These results have important implications for IT investment decisions. The results also suggest that cross-sectional studies, conducted soon after an application is installed, may fail to find benefits even if large benefits are obtained.
TL;DR: A methodology for marrying CE principles to software engineering, or concurrent software engineering (CSE), is proposed, defined as a management technique to reduce the time-to-market in product development through simultaneous performance of activities and processing of information.
Abstract: Software development remains largely a sequential, time-consuming process. Concurrent engineering (CE) principles have been more widely adopted and with greater success in hardware development. In this paper, a methodology for marrying CE principles to software engineering, or concurrent software engineering (CSE), is proposed. CSE is defined as a management technique to reduce the time-to-market in product development through simultaneous performance of activities and processing of information. A hierarchy of concurrent software development activity is defined, ranging from the simplest (within stage) to the most complex (across products and platforms). The information support activities to support this activity hierarchy are also defined, along with two key linking concepts-synchronicity and architectural modularity. Principles of CSE are developed for each level in the activity hierarchy. Research findings that establish limitations to implementing CE are also discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between intangible assets and further advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) adoption in 116 small manufacturing firms and found that the technical skills of blue-collar workers, the influence of customers and vendors, and strategic motivations focused on process improvement and customers are the strongest determinants of subsequent levels of adoption.
Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between intangible assets and further advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) adoption in 116 small manufacturing firms. Results indicate that the technical skills of blue-collar workers, the influence of customers and vendors, and strategic motivations focused on process improvement and customers are the strongest determinants of subsequent levels of adoption. Further, it is shown that strategic motivations moderate the relationships between technical skills and influences and further AMT adoption. Preliminary support for an evolutionary model is also found, leading to a revised conceptual framework.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the link between research and development (RD) and technological strength and show that 45% of the variation in firm performance, measured by operating profits, was explained by the comprehensive three-stage model.
Abstract: This study focuses on the link between research and development (RD and technological strength. The subsequent focus is on the two firm technology measures and firm performance while controlling for firm size and productivity. An empirical test on 49 firms across several industries revealed that the first link was quite weak, possibly caused by the inclusion of much engineering on ongoing operations being included in R&D. However, the overall model results were quite strong, showing that 45% of the variation in firm performance, measured by operating profits, was explained by the comprehensive three-stage model.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose a composite of three sets of concurrent engineering practices: early simultaneous influence (ESI), in-process design controls (IDC), and computer and information technology (CIT).
Abstract: This paper proposes a "composite" form of organization as best for reducing product development time and costs. This composite is a meld of three sets of concurrent engineering (CE) practices: early simultaneous influence (ESI) in product design decisions by multiple functions, in-process design controls (IDC), and computer and information technology (CIT). The importance of these practices was suggested by case studies of CE practices in 12 major US companies. The separate and interaction effects of each of these three practices is tested statistically using data from a survey sample of 74 companies. The results show statistically significant interaction effects among the three core CE practice sets. This suggests synergistic benefits from simultaneously achieving high levels of these three practices.
TL;DR: The human factors assumptions made by the CE tool development community are identified and compared to conclusions drawn from existing literature on the role of technologies in performing technical work suggest that the assumptions made are likely to inhibit CE tools from successfully enabling the CE process.
Abstract: Concurrent engineering (CE) tools are intended to increase the concurrency of multidisciplinary design by integrating various enabling technologies such as computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, group decision support systems, expert systems, and communication networks. If the long term viability of CE depends on effectively developing and deploying CE tools, the assumptions about how CE design tasks are most successfully performed and the roles of tools in facilitating that work should be carefully reviewed. This paper identifies the human factors assumptions made by the CE tool development community and compares them to conclusions drawn from existing literature on the role of technologies in performing technical work. This comparison suggests that the assumptions made by the CE tool development community are likely to inhibit CE tools from successfully enabling the CE process. Recommendations for remedying this state of affairs are offered in the form of restated assumptions that are consistent with documented behaviors of people using similar technologies and potential development strategies for CE tool developers.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide some new empirical observations for debate and discussion on one dimension of the subject, namely, the nature and extent of the production of technology undertaken by large firms outside their home base.
Abstract: Internationalization of technology remains a subject of considerable interest to analysts and policy makers in the 1990s. This paper is a modest attempt at providing some new empirical observations for debate and discussion on one dimension of the subject, namely, the nature and extent of the production of technology undertaken by large firms outside their home base. The evidence, based on the US patenting activities of the world's largest 539 firms (based in 13 countries and covering 16 product groups), shows that for an overwhelming majority of them technology production remains close to the home base. It also shows that firms devoting a large proportion of their resources to technology are amongst the least internationalized. When these firms do go abroad, there is no systematic relationship between their relative presence in a technical field and the relative strength of the host country. The analysis points to the dangers of generalizing on the basis of anecdotal evidence from a small sample of firms from a particular country or sector.
TL;DR: In this paper, a study was conducted covering 658 industrial and 1033 academic R&D teams in 11 countries, not including the United States, and found that climate variable of work importance explained unique variance in publication of original articles as well as external ratings of technical quality for both samples.
Abstract: A study was conducted covering 658 industrial and 1033 academic R&D teams in 11 countries, not including the United States. The climate variable of work importance explained unique variance in publication of original articles as well as external ratings of technical quality for both samples. The climate variable of participation/cooperation accounted for unique variance in articles published in both samples, and in technical quality ratings for the industrial sample. Satisfaction with pay/advancement explained unique variance in patents for the industrial sample and in articles for the academic sample. Satisfaction with supervision accounted for unique variance in patents and technical quality ratings for the academic sample. The inclusion of country as a control variable had some effects on the results, but still left work climate and job satisfaction as relatively robust predictors of R&D team productivity. Implications for R&D managers are discussed in the paper.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the results of case study research conducted at a major US automotive firm to identify the organizational and technological changes needed to implement concurrent engineering practices, and demonstrate that the desire to cut product development time was the driving factor in a strategy designed to boost sales and market share.
Abstract: This paper presents the results of case study research conducted at a major US automotive firm. Four waves of qualitative data were collected to identify the organizational and technological changes needed to implement concurrent engineering practices. The desire to cut product development time was the driving factor in a strategy designed to boost sales and market share. The company was successful in shortening concept-to-market time by over one year on its first newly designed vehicle, primarily through the use of product-focused, cross-functional platform teams which permitted the early integration of manufacturing personnel into product and process development. While technology played an important role in this transformation, organizational, and human resource changes were the greatest enablers.
TL;DR: Several software engineering technologies used within NASA are studied, and the mechanisms, schedules, and efforts at transferring these technologies are investigated to see if software engineering technology transfer differs from other engineering disciplines.
Abstract: technology transfer is of crucial concern to both government and industry today. In this paper, several software engineering technologies used within NASA are studied, and the mechanisms, schedules, and efforts at transferring these technologies are investigated. The goals of this study are: (1) to understand the difference between technology transfer (the adoption of a new method by large segments of an industry) as an industrywide phenomenon and the adoption of a new technology by an individual organization (called technology infusion); and (2) to see if software engineering technology transfer differs from other engineering disciplines. While there is great interest today in developing technology transfer models for industry, it is the technology infusion process that actually causes changes in the current state of the practice.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a framework to assist managers in deciding whether to abandon an ongoing research and development (R&D)/innovation project at various stages of R&D.
Abstract: This empirical study attempts to develop a framework to assist managers in deciding whether to abandon an ongoing research and development (R&D)/innovation project at various stages of R&D. The monitoring framework is based upon the models developed through multiple logistic regression analysis on a data set of 60 successful and unsuccessful projects. The technique determines those factors which discriminate between success and failure of a project. The major advantage of the proposed framework is that it provides a single indicator which can be used to monitor the success of an ongoing project at various stages over its life span. The indicator incorporates the combined effect of all the factors and avoids the problem of setting thresholds for individual factors or success indicators.
TL;DR: In this paper, an empirical analysis of 149 individuals in 149 different companies describing 258 R&D selection decisions using discriminant analysis to identify the determinants of the four different kinds of use at three levels of analysis: the individual, the project, and the organization.
Abstract: Although a large body of literature exists about the use of formal selection techniques (FST) in the selection of research and development (R&D) projects, most of it has focused on the instrumental use of the techniques and much scepticism exists about their value. Very little attention has been paid to the political or supportive use of the techniques, though project selection is often a political process. This study uses a two by two analytical framework combining these two forms of use. An empirical analysis of 149 individuals in 149 different companies describing 258 R&D selection decisions uses discriminant analysis to identify the determinants of the four different kinds of use at three levels of analysis: the individual, the project, and the organization. Considerable consistency is shown across levels and the importance of the supportive/political use of FST is emphasized.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the transfer of technologies over a three-year period in an international joint venture comprising three operating divisions of large multinational chemical companies located in Germany, the United States, and Japan.
Abstract: The problem of technology transfer has been extensively addressed from many different perspectives. Very few of the research studies, however, have examined it as a process, trying to understand more about how different kinds of technologies are transferred across organizational boundaries. This research examines the transfer of technologies over a three-year period in an international joint venture comprising three operating divisions of large multinational chemical companies located in Germany, the United States, and Japan. A total sample of 208 technologies are identified as having been transferred between the venture's partners. Descriptions of the types of technologies, the methods used to transfer them, their degrees of success, and the organizational, national, and cultural differences in which the international transfers took place are investigated.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated parent-subsidiary technical communication in multinational corporations (MNCs) and found that European and Japanese-owned subsidiaries exhibit differences in a number of organizational, cultural, and technology-related attributes, which in turn appeared to lead to differences in scientific and technical communication between the subsidiaries and their parents.
Abstract: This paper investigates parent-subsidiary technical communication in multinational corporations (MNCs). Subsidiaries of European and Japanese MNCs operating biotechnology R&D facilities in the United States are examined to determine how technical information is transmitted to and from their parent firms. A conceptual model is developed that relates parent company and subsidiary attributes to technical communication between the parent and the US subsidiary. A multimethod approach using both survey and case study methodologies is employed to evaluate this model. The data indicate that European- and Japanese-owned subsidiaries exhibit differences in a number of organizational, cultural, and technology-related attributes, which in turn appear to lead to differences in scientific and technical communication between the subsidiaries and their parents. The concept of communication structure from the organizational communication literature is used to provide a framework for the discussion of the results. In this study. European and Japanese firms exhibit two distinct forms of communication structure characterizing parent-subsidiary technical communication.
TL;DR: In this article, critical management, business and technical issues related to three recent international R&D programs between the United States and Japan are discussed and discussed and illustrated organizational strategies and practical suggestions for managing these critical issues.
Abstract: This paper discusses critical management, business and technical issues related to three recent international R&D programs between the United States and Japan. It summarizes case studies on two of these programs, then it extrapolates a third case of a program in progress. A review of these programs revealed that international R&D programs present unique challenges in relation to business mobilization, convincing organizations to accept outside technology, financing, program planning, joint program management, and engineering issues. Approximately 25 subjects were observed as critical issues. This paper discusses and illustrates organizational strategies and practical suggestions for managing these critical issues.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the factors in the Japanese context in addition to the three countries and compared these factors from the four countries and provided some explanations for the similarities and the differences between the factors.
Abstract: With firms establishing R&D facilities abroad, it is important for R&D managers to understand how decisions are made and the factors that affect them in different countries. The decision to terminate an ongoing R&D project is made based on a number of factors. Some of these are objective and based on actual data, while others are mostly qualitative and subjective. Previous studies have identified a number of factors found to be important in the context of firms in the United States. Some recent studies have identified such factors in Germany and in the United Kingdom. This study examines the factors in the Japanese context in addition to the three countries. It further compares these factors from the four countries and provides some explanations for the similarities and the differences between the factors. Based on the results of this comparative study it suggests the implications for R&D management.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the key issues affecting the transfer of university computer-aided design (CAD) technology from the SRC CAD Center at Carnegie Mellon University to SRC's industrial membership and found that transfer succeeds only when SRC member firms establish organizational incentives for technical personnel to commit their time to the implementation of university research, and when they provide these personnel the organizational resources needed to perform this implementation.
Abstract: Since its establishment in 1982, the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) has funded extensive silicon-based semiconductor research at universities, including research in the area of computer aided design. While the consortium has had success with transferring this research to its members, the overall incidence of transfer has been limited. This study explored the key issues affecting the transfer of university computer-aided design (CAD) technology from the SRC CAD Center at Carnegie Mellon University to the SRC's industrial membership. Most research on improving technology transfer has focused on finding mechanisms to promote person-to-person interaction between developer and adopter. Interview and survey data collected from the 12 CAD Center faculty and 15 SRC member firm personnel suggest that transfer succeeds only when SRC member firms establish organizational incentives for technical personnel to commit their time to the implementation of university research, and when they provide these personnel the organizational resources needed to perform this implementation. Suggestions for improving the mechanisms of transfer are offered, but without reform in organizational incentives, improving these mechanisms is unlikely to significantly increase the rate at which university research is commercialized for actual industrial use.
TL;DR: Given a project network with a set of tasks to be completed according to some precedence relationship, the objective is to determine efficient project schedules for a range of project realization times to solve the time-resource tradeoff problem.
Abstract: Given a project network with a set of tasks to be completed according to some precedence relationship, the objective is to determine efficient project schedules for a range of project realization times. This problem is referred to as the time-resource tradeoff problem. Associated with each task are its normal duration, maximum allowable crash range, and resource cost per time unit for each resource. A multiple objective linear programming (MOLP) model is presented. The time-cost tradeoff technique is extended to solve the time-resource tradeoff problem. The methodology assumes that the project manager's (the decision maker) utility function over the resource consumption costs is linear with unknown weights for each resource. Enumerative and interactive algorithms utilizing Geoffrion's P(/spl lambda/) approach, are presented as solution techniques. It is demonstrated that both versions have desirable computational times.
TL;DR: In this paper, an engineering management information system applicable to the new age of knowledge is presented. But, the approach is formulated from the standpoint of knowledge amplification in the engineering process.
Abstract: Future product development is expected to evolve from the current stage, where the final commercial product is most important aspect of production, to the stage where the knowledge required for product development is of greatest significance. This study aims to construct an engineering management information system applicable to this new age of knowledge. Approaches are formulated from the standpoint of knowledge amplification in the engineering process. First, Sony's current product development process which is based on event management, product planning, and the subsequent design processes are analyzed to clarify the sequence of knowledge amplification. Then the sequence of knowledge amplification of individual engineers and that of the organization groups are analyzed, and a new network system supporting the product development process is proposed.