Requirements-based development of an improved engineering change management method (original) (raw)

2013, Journal of Engineering Design

Engineering changes (ECs) are essential in complex product development, and their management is a crucial discipline for engineering industries. Numerous methods have been developed to support EC management (ECM), of which the change prediction method (CPM) is one of the most established. This article contributes a requirements-based benchmarking approach to assess and improve existing methods. The CPM is selected to be improved. First, based on a comprehensive literature survey and insights from industrial case studies, a set of 25 requirements for change management methods are developed. Second, these requirements are used as benchmarking criteria to assess the CPM in comparison to seven other promising methods. Third, the best-in-class solutions for each requirement are investigated to draw improvement suggestions for the CPM. Finally, an enhanced ECM method which implements these improvements is presented. 766 B. Hamraz et al. the implementation of necessary ECs to be completed in less time, incurring lower cost, and with better quality. Recent literature reviews (e.g. Jarratt et al. 2011; Hamraz, Caldwell, and Clarkson 2013) reveal numerous ECM methods, amongst which the change prediction method (CPM) from Clarkson, Simons, and Eckert is one of the most established and one of the very few methods which is available as a computer tool. In this paper, we aim at improving CPM through a benchmarking approach which follows four steps. First, we develop a list of requirements for ECM methods through investigation of current methods complemented by case study experience. Second, we use these requirements as benchmark criteria to assess CPM as well as seven other promising ECM methods. The best-in-class methods for each criterion are identified. Third, we study these benchmarks and draw improvement suggestions for CPM to close the competitive gaps to the other seven methods. Fourth, we describe how an improved ECM method known as the function-behaviourstructure (FBS) linkage method was developed to address these points. The data structure of the FBS linkage method is described in detail elsewhere (Hamraz, Caldwell, and Clarkson 2012); the present paper adds an insight by detailing the modelling process and by showing how the method provides an improvement to CPM with respect to the identified requirements.