Modelling and simulating complex design projects

• Main Author: Nour, Mohamed Khider Mohamed
• Published: University of the West of England, Bristol 2006
• Subjects: 658.5750113
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.431309

This research has focused on the application of modelling and simulation techniques to help manage complex product development projects and achieve efficient and shorter time scales. In particular, this work has extended an existing activity network model that uses discrete event simulation to estimate project cost, schedule and quality. In order to enable computer based analysis and synthesis of a real world product development processes, the research has concentrated on tackling the limitations of this modelling approach and has developed a number of novel ideas: Firstly, a framework has been proposed which allows the capture, representation and analysis of project data which may contain crclic or non-cyclic activities. Secondly. a method has been developed for integrating the model with a widely used proccss analysis technique; the Design Structure Matric (DSM) technique, to allow detailed computational analysis of an activity matrix. Thirdly, meta-heuristic optimisation techniques are used to obtain good solutions according to pre-set criteria. Issues related to problem representation and the formulations of a suitable ohjective function are discussed in connection with this strand. The performance of these techniques is then evaluated in terms of computational speed and efficiency of search. The benefits of the proposed work is discussed including an industrial case study which has led to structuring and streamlining of the development process which in turn offers the potential to reduce the cost and duration of complex projects.