Design evolution management: A design methodology for representing and utilizing design rationale

Abstract

In conventional design practice, a detailed product description is the end-result of a design process. Usually these detailed product descriptions do not reveal their heritage from early-stage abstract product descriptions or the particular influence from different life-cycle perspectives. This "missing" information describing the multi-staged and multi-perspective design process is termed a design evolution.

The research has focused on the development of techniques for Design Evolution Management, i.e., a design methodology for representation and subsequent utilization of a design evolution during a design process. Practice of the methodology requires construction of records that "document" the design decision-making processes executed during a design process. Records are constructed for both strategic and tactical levels of design decision-making. Design strategies, represented as design plans, are utilized for resource management and as a record of the strategic context justifying tactical level design decisions. Design tactics, represented in complex structures called connections, are utilized to explain the design rationale for attributes included in a product description and to help detect and resolve inconsistencies among these attributes.

A prototype computer-based design environment, called AIDEMS, has been built and has been used to demonstrate the practice of Design Evolution Management in example design processes. The design environment provides designers a platform for interactive expression of their design strategies and tactics and uses Artificial Intelligence programming techniques for semi-automated resources scheduling, execution of design revisions, exploration of design alternatives, and generation of explanations.

The primary contributions of this research are its underlying design process model, the design methodology, and the demonstration of the practice of the design methodology using AIDEMS. The underlying design process model provides a comprehensive characterization of the design process that depicts the complexity of a design evolution. The design methodology integrates a variety of computer-aided design techniques enabling the construction of a design process history that not only records design decision-making processes, but also re-uses the historical record to achieve design productivity improvements. AIDEMS provides evidence attesting the utility of the design process record created in the practice of DEM.