Using an engineering change methodology to support conceptual design

Most designs are modifications from previous products and lessons learned from earlier designs can be beneficial when developing new products. This paper introduces a support tool for the conceptual design phase, which is based on connectivity models of past designs and allows designers to assess the risk of change spreading between components and facilitates a visual analysis of these change models. Based on the example of a new generation of diesel engine design, this paper shows how the ability to predict change propagation can guide designers through conceptual design allowing them to analyse design alternatives and foresee potential problems arising from the product architecture.