This project focuses on the coordination among individuals involved in the design of an engineering product. The main focus is on how information flows back and forth within a team of people working together on a design, and how this can be effectively managed.
WHY IS THE TOPIC IMPORTANT? Effective coordination can assist with timely completion of a design project. Ineffective coordination is known to cause unnecessary rework and wasted effort. In a poorly coordinated project, individuals spend more time than necessary on communication, meetings, and resolving issues. So, managers can benefit from data-driven insight into how their projects are coordinated and how this can be improved.
WHAT WILL YOU DO? You will develop a system for generating a computer model of design coordination in a company. This will involve a survey tool to be filled out by participants in a project. The tool will ask a series of questions to elicit the information flows that take place in a project. The system will include a way to convert survey results (either systematically or automatically) into a data set that allows simulating the project in "a virtual environment" so that managers can identify possible areas for improvement. The simulation model was developed in a previous year's project, but may need to be adjusted depending on how your project unfolds.
This project does not require lab work. The system may be trialled in a company (if a suitable "sponsor" can be identified during the project) or a university project setting. This project complements project 55.
Undergraduate
None
Mechatronics PG + Dynamics and Control Lab (201.562, Lab)