In this paper, we present the first generic framework for selecting comprehensive material/energe... more In this paper, we present the first generic framework for selecting comprehensive material/energetic sustainability performance indicators (SPIs) for technical systems: the S-Cycle Performance Matrix (S-CPMatrix). This novel matrix is comprised of 6 generic sustainability goals, 11 SPI archetypes, and 23 corresponding metrics identified from our previously developed model of technical system sustainability (the S-Cycle), and is intended to support decision makers in meeting three identified criteria for comprehensive SPI sets: (C1) inclusion of indicators measuring performance at all relevant scales; (C2) inclusion of efficiency and effectiveness indicators; and (C3) coverage of all system sustainability goals. We evaluated the matrix by interpreting and classifying 324 indicators currently applied to assess technical system sustainability performance in the literature, with 94.1% found to be fully classifiable with respect to the proposed goals and SPI archetypes following several refinements. The matrix is applicable to different systems, and may be considered to facilitate the selection of a holistic set of SPIs from different sources and evaluation approaches. Thus, it addresses a need for consistent yet flexible guidance on how to comprehensively assess technical system sustainability performance, mirroring generic guidelines on organizational SPI selection widely available through several international initiatives. In addition to industrial evaluation of the S-CPMatrix, four avenues for future research are proposed: (i) use of the matrix for systems comparison/benchmarking; (ii) further investigation of unsupported metrics; (iii) the nature and measurement of contaminants; and (iv) assessing the comprehensiveness of current SPI sets for technical systems. C⃝ 2017 The Authors. Systems Engineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 00: 1–26, 2017
The global design project challenges students from three European universities to work in enginee... more The global design project challenges students from three European universities to work in engineering design teams on the development of a product. To execute the design process, students have chosen to utilise social network sites as a platform for communication and collaboration. The aim of the study was to investigate how students were utilising social network sites as part of their collaborative work during the global design project and their views on the level of support given. A survey and semi-formal interviews were used to collect data on views and the use of social network sites. The study reveals: (1) the popularity of different social network sites for social and academic tasks, (2) the expectation of support students' and academics' think is required, and (3) a need for greater guidance in the use of social network sites. The use of social network sites by students' is discussed with a focus on how they can be better supported in future projects. This paper proposes that students' and academic staff require guidance on the best practices for using social network sites in global design projects to support students' education.
SUMMARY BAE Systems Naval Ships is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of all aspects of its app... more SUMMARY BAE Systems Naval Ships is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of all aspects of its approach to the engineering, design and manufacture of complex warships. Through a partnership with the University of Strathclyde, research is underway on the implementation of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to meet organisational objectives. An overview of PLM is provided highlighting the challenges specific to the characteristics of Engineering to Order (ETO) products. These challenges relate to understanding PLM organisational objectives and aligning these with the relevant technology. Central to BAE Systems Naval Ships PLM approach is the Integrated Bill of Materials (iBoM) which is a critical enabler for the organisations transformational objectives. The implementation of the iBoM will be used to develop a framework for implementing PLM to ensure that the technology supports the business objectives of ETO product development, i.e. the integration of business and technology architectures.
... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author... more ... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author , P. York b , E-mail The Corresponding Author , D. Vassalos b , E-mail The Corresponding Author and P. Kaklis c , E-mail The Corresponding Author. a Leonardo Centre, University ...
ABSTRACT Decision Making Support Systems (DMSS) can mitigate the risks involved in highly uncerta... more ABSTRACT Decision Making Support Systems (DMSS) can mitigate the risks involved in highly uncertain processes where novelty is high, such as NPD resource management. However such systems manipulate complex organisational information and require embedding within the business it operates within. There is a risk of poor acceptance in the business if the DMSS does not take into account a number of business related considerations. Utilising a systems approach literature was analysed, from which a set of considerations pertinent to the development of DMSS was elicited. Through the assessment of a number of System Development Methodologies (SDM), it was found that no one System Development Methodology (SDM) took into account all considerations identified. There is therefore a clear gap in current research and a real need for such a methodology which addresses the considerations identified.
Decision support system (DSS) is a well-established research and development area. Traditional is... more Decision support system (DSS) is a well-established research and development area. Traditional isolated, stand-alone DSS has been recently facing new challenges. In order to improve the performance of DSS to meet the challenges, research has been actively carried out to develop integrated decision support systems (IDSS). This paper reviews the current research efforts with regard to the development of IDSS.
ABSTRACT Decision making is a significant activity within industry and although much attention ha... more ABSTRACT Decision making is a significant activity within industry and although much attention has been paid to the manner in which goals impact on how decision making is executed, there has been less focus on the impact decision making resources can have. This article describes an experiment that sought to provide greater insight into the impact that resources can have on how decision making is executed. Investigated variables included the experience levels of decision makers and the quality and availability of information resources. The experiment provided insights into the variety of impacts that resources can have upon decision making, manifested through the evolution of the approaches, methods, and processes used within it. The findings illustrated that there could be an impact on the decision-making process but not on the method or approach, the method and process but not the approach, or the approach, method, and process. In addition, resources were observed to have multiple impacts, which can emerge in different timescales. Given these findings, research is suggested into the development of resource-impact models that would describe the relationships existing between the decision-making activity and resources, together with the development of techniques for reasoning using these models. This would enhance the development of systems that could offer improved levels of decision support through managing the impact of resources on decision making.
... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author... more ... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author , P. York b , E-mail The Corresponding Author , D. Vassalos b , E-mail The Corresponding Author and P. Kaklis c , E-mail The Corresponding Author. a Leonardo Centre, University ...
This paper describes a computer-based system called the design management system (DMS) that was d... more This paper describes a computer-based system called the design management system (DMS) that was developed to manage and coordinate distributed engineering design activity. Issues relating to the control of distributed design coordination are discussed from the context of engineering design. Key features of the DMS as well as proposals for future developments are described. Distributed design activity is coordinated and managed using the DMS within an industrial case study. The DMS demonstrated significant improvements in timeliness when compared with manual process-enactment techniques (64% reduction in process time compared with previous methods). Further potential system improvements are identified relating to operational coordination.
In this paper, we present the first generic framework for selecting comprehensive material/energe... more In this paper, we present the first generic framework for selecting comprehensive material/energetic sustainability performance indicators (SPIs) for technical systems: the S-Cycle Performance Matrix (S-CPMatrix). This novel matrix is comprised of 6 generic sustainability goals, 11 SPI archetypes, and 23 corresponding metrics identified from our previously developed model of technical system sustainability (the S-Cycle), and is intended to support decision makers in meeting three identified criteria for comprehensive SPI sets: (C1) inclusion of indicators measuring performance at all relevant scales; (C2) inclusion of efficiency and effectiveness indicators; and (C3) coverage of all system sustainability goals. We evaluated the matrix by interpreting and classifying 324 indicators currently applied to assess technical system sustainability performance in the literature, with 94.1% found to be fully classifiable with respect to the proposed goals and SPI archetypes following several refinements. The matrix is applicable to different systems, and may be considered to facilitate the selection of a holistic set of SPIs from different sources and evaluation approaches. Thus, it addresses a need for consistent yet flexible guidance on how to comprehensively assess technical system sustainability performance, mirroring generic guidelines on organizational SPI selection widely available through several international initiatives. In addition to industrial evaluation of the S-CPMatrix, four avenues for future research are proposed: (i) use of the matrix for systems comparison/benchmarking; (ii) further investigation of unsupported metrics; (iii) the nature and measurement of contaminants; and (iv) assessing the comprehensiveness of current SPI sets for technical systems. C⃝ 2017 The Authors. Systems Engineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 00: 1–26, 2017
The global design project challenges students from three European universities to work in enginee... more The global design project challenges students from three European universities to work in engineering design teams on the development of a product. To execute the design process, students have chosen to utilise social network sites as a platform for communication and collaboration. The aim of the study was to investigate how students were utilising social network sites as part of their collaborative work during the global design project and their views on the level of support given. A survey and semi-formal interviews were used to collect data on views and the use of social network sites. The study reveals: (1) the popularity of different social network sites for social and academic tasks, (2) the expectation of support students' and academics' think is required, and (3) a need for greater guidance in the use of social network sites. The use of social network sites by students' is discussed with a focus on how they can be better supported in future projects. This paper proposes that students' and academic staff require guidance on the best practices for using social network sites in global design projects to support students' education.
SUMMARY BAE Systems Naval Ships is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of all aspects of its app... more SUMMARY BAE Systems Naval Ships is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of all aspects of its approach to the engineering, design and manufacture of complex warships. Through a partnership with the University of Strathclyde, research is underway on the implementation of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to meet organisational objectives. An overview of PLM is provided highlighting the challenges specific to the characteristics of Engineering to Order (ETO) products. These challenges relate to understanding PLM organisational objectives and aligning these with the relevant technology. Central to BAE Systems Naval Ships PLM approach is the Integrated Bill of Materials (iBoM) which is a critical enabler for the organisations transformational objectives. The implementation of the iBoM will be used to develop a framework for implementing PLM to ensure that the technology supports the business objectives of ETO product development, i.e. the integration of business and technology architectures.
... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author... more ... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author , P. York b , E-mail The Corresponding Author , D. Vassalos b , E-mail The Corresponding Author and P. Kaklis c , E-mail The Corresponding Author. a Leonardo Centre, University ...
ABSTRACT Decision Making Support Systems (DMSS) can mitigate the risks involved in highly uncerta... more ABSTRACT Decision Making Support Systems (DMSS) can mitigate the risks involved in highly uncertain processes where novelty is high, such as NPD resource management. However such systems manipulate complex organisational information and require embedding within the business it operates within. There is a risk of poor acceptance in the business if the DMSS does not take into account a number of business related considerations. Utilising a systems approach literature was analysed, from which a set of considerations pertinent to the development of DMSS was elicited. Through the assessment of a number of System Development Methodologies (SDM), it was found that no one System Development Methodology (SDM) took into account all considerations identified. There is therefore a clear gap in current research and a real need for such a methodology which addresses the considerations identified.
Decision support system (DSS) is a well-established research and development area. Traditional is... more Decision support system (DSS) is a well-established research and development area. Traditional isolated, stand-alone DSS has been recently facing new challenges. In order to improve the performance of DSS to meet the challenges, research has been actively carried out to develop integrated decision support systems (IDSS). This paper reviews the current research efforts with regard to the development of IDSS.
ABSTRACT Decision making is a significant activity within industry and although much attention ha... more ABSTRACT Decision making is a significant activity within industry and although much attention has been paid to the manner in which goals impact on how decision making is executed, there has been less focus on the impact decision making resources can have. This article describes an experiment that sought to provide greater insight into the impact that resources can have on how decision making is executed. Investigated variables included the experience levels of decision makers and the quality and availability of information resources. The experiment provided insights into the variety of impacts that resources can have upon decision making, manifested through the evolution of the approaches, methods, and processes used within it. The findings illustrated that there could be an impact on the decision-making process but not on the method or approach, the method and process but not the approach, or the approach, method, and process. In addition, resources were observed to have multiple impacts, which can emerge in different timescales. Given these findings, research is suggested into the development of resource-impact models that would describe the relationships existing between the decision-making activity and resources, together with the development of techniques for reasoning using these models. This would enhance the development of systems that could offer improved levels of decision support through managing the impact of resources on decision making.
... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author... more ... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author , P. York b , E-mail The Corresponding Author , D. Vassalos b , E-mail The Corresponding Author and P. Kaklis c , E-mail The Corresponding Author. a Leonardo Centre, University ...
This paper describes a computer-based system called the design management system (DMS) that was d... more This paper describes a computer-based system called the design management system (DMS) that was developed to manage and coordinate distributed engineering design activity. Issues relating to the control of distributed design coordination are discussed from the context of engineering design. Key features of the DMS as well as proposals for future developments are described. Distributed design activity is coordinated and managed using the DMS within an industrial case study. The DMS demonstrated significant improvements in timeliness when compared with manual process-enactment techniques (64% reduction in process time compared with previous methods). Further potential system improvements are identified relating to operational coordination.
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Papers by Ian Whitfield