Integrating knowledge maps in design process configurations for concurrently engineered product development

Abstract

Concurrently engineered product development requires effective inter-functional communication and knowledge sharing across multidisciplinary teams and heterogeneous processes. This paper presents a semantics-enabled approach to the integration of knowledge maps with design process configurations to support more meaningful communication and seamless collaboration between cross-functional teams and concurrent workflows in new product introduction (NPI) processes. The proposed approach focuses on: explicit and formalized process description and configuration of NPI activities; process knowledge capture and reuse through knowledge maps; integration of knowledge maps into design process configurations; and ontology-based process model mapping and knowledge sharing to support seamless process collaboration. It thereby contributes to the development of the next generation concurrent engineering methodologies in order to achieve NPI process advances for meaningful inter-functional communication and collaboration. The approach has been implemented in a software prototype to provide the concurrently engineered product development with the capabilities of semantic process description and configuration, knowledge reuse, and process collaboration. © IMechE 2007.