Change propagation analysis in complex technical systems

Monica Giffin, Rene Keller, Olivier De Weck, Claudia Eckert, Gergana Bounova, John Clarkson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Understanding how and why changes propagate during engineering design is critical because most products and systems emerge from predecessors and not through clean sheet design. This paper applies change propagation analysis methods and extends prior reasoning through examination of a large data set from industry including 41,500 change requests, spanning 8 years during the design of a complex sensor system. Different methods are used to analyze the data and the results are compared to each other and evaluated in the context of previous findings. In particular the networks of connected parent, child and sibling changes are resolved over time and mapped to 46 subsystem areas. A normalized change propagation index (CPI) is then developed, showing the relative strength of each area on the absorber-multiplier spectrum between -1 and +1. Multipliers send out more changes than they receive and are good candidates for more focused change management. Another interesting finding is the quantitative confirmation of the "ripple" change pattern. Unlike the earlier prediction, however, it was found that the peak of cyclical change activity occurred late in the program driven by systems integration and functional testing. Patterns emerged from the data and offer clear implications for technical change management approaches in system design.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2007 Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, DETC2007
Pages183-192
Number of pages10
DOIs
StatePublished - 2008
Externally publishedYes
Event19th Int. Conf. Design Theory and Methodology and 1st Int. Conf. Micro and Nano Systems, presented at - 2007 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC/CIE2007 - Las Vegas, NV, United States
Duration: 4 Sep 20077 Sep 2007

Publication series

Name2007 Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, DETC2007
Volume3 PART A

Conference

Conference19th Int. Conf. Design Theory and Methodology and 1st Int. Conf. Micro and Nano Systems, presented at - 2007 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC/CIE2007
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityLas Vegas, NV
Period4/09/077/09/07

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