Designing consistent structural analysis scenarios

Companies face challenges due to rising complexity through shorter market lifecycles, manifold costumer requirements, additional solutions options and discipline-spanning cooperation. Efficient tools for analyzing and assessing solutions and processes are necessary during the development. Structural considerations are an established approach, which can be used in early phases of the innovation process. Manifold structural analysis criteria such as cycles and clusters are applicable in complexity management. The criteria are interconnected. Their interrelations cause redundant analyses. Developers must choose appropriate criteria combinations to gain significant results efficiently. Researchers have to develop consistent, non-redundant structural analysis scenarios. In this paper we present a model of the interrelations of structural analysis criteria. We propose a procedure for the development of structural analysis scenarios and show its application in one case study. Researchers get a tool for the systematic creation of structural analysis scenarios. Industrial applicators get efficient tools for structural complexity management.