A Process Traceability Methodology to Support Conflict Management

In order to solve the consistency and integration about process and process data that is produced in digital product collaborative development, digital collaborative design process model is presented, by detailed analyzing the integration requirement of collaborative design process and data. Based on this model, the CAX/DFX tools which are used in collaborative design are distributed and granule encapsulated by Federal Intelligent Product EnviRonment(FIPER); collaborative design process data produced by CAX/DFX tools is encapsulated based on the logic of Product Data Management (PDM) system’s workflow and is published as Webservice. FIPER is used to realize the collaborative design process flow that uses data Webservice to data exchange between PDM and uses encapsulated CAX/DFX tools to realize the design function. An example which realizes the integration of process design flow of a part is presented at the end of this paper. The collaborative design process flow is used to organize the collaborative process planning and to encapsulate the collaborative design data with Webservice in this example. The realization of this example manifested that the digital collaborative design product model has good practicability and the method of encapsulation for CAX/DFX tools and data Webservice is feasibility.

It is characteristic of collaborative engineering design that precedence relationships among design activities contain information flow conflicts. Indeed, due to multi-actors interaction, conflicts can emerge from disagreements between designers about proposed designs. Therefore, a critical element of collaborative design would be conflict resolution. This paper presents a methodology to identify the conflict resolution team and to evaluate the impact of a selected solution on the product data as well as on the process organisation. The approach is based on product data dependencies network. This network is composed of the handled data and the dependency links between them; two qualification dependency measures are introduced to manage these dependencies. In order to identify this network, a traceability model to track the design process is proposed. Finally, a protocol to manage the conflict resolution negotiation is discussed

Product design tends to be more complex and needs the effective cooperation among multidisciplinary designers and engineers. An ideal product design environment, which is both collaborative and intelligent, will be much appreciated. Agent technology is an innovative and promising approach to implementing distributed systems and is becoming popular in various areas of computing in recent years. In this paper, the dynamic nature of collaborative design process and the representation of collaborative design knowledge are presented. In order to model constantly evolving design process and the rationales resulted from collaboration, a Collaborative Product Data Model (CPDM), which extends traditional Product Data Model (PDM), and a constraint-based Collaborative Design Process Model (CDPM) are proposed. These are intended to facilitate the management and coordination of collaborative product design process and knowledge management. A design example is used to illustrate CDPM. While the system is being implemented, the architecture of our agent-based collaborative product design environment based on CPDM and CDPM is described.

Purpose To describe the process and outcome of a user and theory informed online intervention for speech pathologists targeting the implementation of intensive and comprehensive aphasia services. Methods The design process followed the eight steps outlined by the Behaviour Change Wheel and incorporated the principles of Integrated Knowledge Translation (IKT). Eight speech pathology researchers and clinicians from four countries (Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland) contributed to three focus groups via videoconference. Results The online platform, Aphasia Nexus: Connecting Evidence to Practice, provides resources, guidance and support for speech pathologists seeking to improve the intensity and comprehensiveness of their aphasia service. A collaborative and iterative design process facilitated the creation of an intervention envisioned by participants. Conclusions The website contains both interactive elements and resource links which have been arranged under the three headings of resources, action and support. The inclusion of multi-national researchers and clinicians benefitted a design process to make implementation more likely. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Theoretically informed implementation interventions aim to change the everyday clinical practice of health workers. An online platform has been developed to support speech pathologists’ implementation of intensive and comprehensive aphasia services. A collaborative design process can be beneficial in creating an intervention that is relevant to research-users and is more likely to be implemented.

In order to perform engineering design activities aiming at the design of new or redesign of existing products, a number of alternative processes, methods and techniques are available in the literature to the engineering designer/product developing enterprise. These processes, methods and techniques, are usually not explicitly expressed in terms of directives as to when and how they are to be used in the actual design of the product-to-be. An important goal in product development of today is to fulfill the terms for sustainable development, thus emphasizing the need to develop products which are not overexploiting the available resources provided by nature. By utilizing an approach to development and design based on bionics, i.e. utilizing biological methods and systems found in nature as a means of creating technical solutions, a conceptual framework is provided which is especially fit to accommodate the striving for sustainability. Striving for lightweight designs provides a significant potential to reduce the energy consumption of the product-to-be, which at present is a highly prioritized goal within sustainable development. Up until now, the dominating approach to lightweight designs has been to utilize lightweight materials such as different types of composites and metallic materials such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium. By introducing biomimicry into the engineering design process, an additional step towards efficient lightweight design solutions might be within reach. Since the objects created by nature are independent of costs and time, these are most often very complex especially regarding shapes and dimensions. In order to match these constraints in the creation of technical solutions (products), it is necessary to utilize optimization in combination with a flexible manufacturing process. The ideal manufacturing method to meet these demands is Additive Manufacturing (AM), though, at least for the time being, it imposes some constraints in size, costs etc. of the product to be manufactured. If the product designed is to be suitable for manufacturing for AM, it must be optimized, and so must the way it is to be processed. Therefore three of the most essential problems which need to be addressed in order to efficiently utilize AM are also elaborated upon and reported in the paper. The first of these problems is how to optimize the product-to-be. The second is to establish the orientation in which the product is to be manufactured during the AM process. The third is to find the best usage of the support material in the 3D printer, as there is no optimized process available for this activity. This is mainly due to the difficulties to foresee the waste of building material as, in most cases, this material can only be used once. In this paper, a process for the design and development of new products is proposed. The application of the process also includes essential elements to assure an efficient use of AM as mentioned above. The process is established on the basis of an integration of the Biomimicry Design Spiral, Bionic Structures and Elements and optimization into the Engineering Design Process. The utilization of the process is demonstrated by an application and reported in the form of a modified engineering design process — the Engineering Design and Biomimicry Design Process or the EDBP process for short.

<p>Urban development and densification are increasing rapidly; this fact has been globally reported. According to a 2014 United Nations report, the world population will increase by 25% in the next three decades. This significant growth means urban density will also increase drastically, creating an increase in high-rise apartment living quarters to cater for the population growth. Subsequently, the development of housing has been advancing - especially around construction techniques which are becoming more efficient to meet the demand of fast-growing urban populations. This thesis proposes that simply supplying housing is no longer sufficient to address the requirements of citizens. Denser living environments result in increased dissatisfaction, especially among those living in high-density housing. This research looks specifically into enabling homebuyers to voice their needs and design their living space. In this context, the social paradigm of high-density housing has not progressed much. There is still more a notion of supplying the needed quantity and homebuyers accepting the housing without question. Homebuyers, the main users of the housing, are often absent from both the planning and design process. Recent studies have shown that participation in their community is one of the key themes towards social sustainability. Many public participatory projects and platforms only allow participation in large scale urban developments and planning processes. There is a significant lack of initiatives that include homebuyers in the context of high-rise, high-density housing. The aim of this research is to explore how a computational tool within a virtual environment can facilitate and support design collaboration and interactions – not only between architects and homebuyers, but among individual and collective homebuyers too. The methodology of the research includes using focus groups to examine how digital tools can support and contribute to the collaborative design process of high-rise, high-density housing. The study is then tested with the public to determine if such design tools facilitate and support design collaborations. Three studies were undertaken: The first is a pre-tool development study. It uses a focus group to understand the factors necessary to engage homebuyers, and those factors that hinder such process. A digital tool for collaboration was then developed, based on analysis of the focus group results. A second study determines if the factors identified are sufficient for design collaboration within a digital environment. Based on this analysis, the tool was enhanced and integrated with third party visualisation software to enable the desired digital collaboration. A final study involves the public, examining whether such a design tool facilitates and supports their design collaborations. Throughout the research development, gamification techniques were introduced and adopted to further explore driving factors and to enhance design interactions. The target audience of this research is homebuyers, who are laypersons in architectural design processes and techniques. Gamification is, therefore, an effective technique to simplify the design process and enable homebuyers to immerse themselves in a collaborative design process. Virtual Reality is used at the final stage to immerse homebuyers further into the design environment and give them clearer feedback about their design decisions. The findings of the research confirm the benefits this novel collaborative design process has on the overall outcome of high-rise, high-dense buildings. It demonstrates how a virtual design tool can influence the process of consultation and procurement for homebuyers. A metadesign framework has been developed to provide a guide to the decision-making support necessary for such a collaborative design process. Finally, the research explains how such an enhanced communicative design operation can achieve the kind of synergies that break out of the current housing paradigm and take a major step forward in urban development.</p>

Conflict is inevitable to take place in collaborative design, and conflict resolution plays an important part in complex product collaborative design systems. Firstly, a mathematic description model in collaborative design considering resource conflict, process conflict and design conflict is given, and the mathematic model expresses the origin of conflict and shows that conflict resolution is a multiobjective planning problem. Next, a conflict resolution algorithm considering design objective optimization is presented, and fuzzy value and fuzzy grade are applied in the algorithm. Depending on both considering design variables having fundamental influences on its design objectives and the cost of conflict resolution, the algorithm can improve the quality and efficiency of conflict resolution. Finally, an example of single cylindrical gear reducer is used to show the validity of the algorithm.

In recent years India has been witnessing an upsurge of conflicts over myriad issues such as displacement related to development projects, legislative changes, claim over natural resources, environmental issues and the like. Though each conflict situation is unique and demands a detailed research exploration in its own right, the need for evolving a paradigm based on underlying commonalities and basic principles cannot be denied. Such a framework would facilitate not only the researchers, but also the policymakers, and has the potential to create pathways for conflict containment and resolution. Even a cursory perusal of the underlying dynamics of most conflicts at local, national or international levels indicates a contestation over limited resources that eventually transforms into contestations for power and identity. Many such conflicts often appear to undermine national security and are often construed as ‘anti-development’, ‘anti-establishment’ or even ‘anti-state’. The present paper posits that it is important to reveal the subtler processes of negotiation in a conflict situation, to understand conflict as a co-constructed social reality and to highlight the reciprocal impact made by the dynamics of such constructions on identities of the parties involved. Along with examining the role of identity dynamics in perpetuating conflicts, the paper argues for incorporating both identity and instrumental pathways in theorizing conflicts. Emphasising upon the role played by politicisation of identities in conflict situations, the paper proposes a theoretical model for deconstructing conflicts and working towards conflict resolution.

A spectral analytic study of some postulates concerning engineering design and related processes

BACKGROUND:Although many studies about confl ict handling and resolution have so far been conducted, only a limited number of them have delved into the sphere of physical education.The specifi c nature of work with physical education in certain situations intensifi es the occurrence of confl icts.The teacher as an expert in the educational process can, in such cases, provide a good example of how to handle a specifi c confl ict. OBJECTIVE:The study aimed to gather information about diff erences in the resolving of confl ict situations which arise during the physical education process between male and female physical education teachers in terms of which confl ict resolution strategy they selected and how consistently they applied them.METHODS: For this purpose 158 physical education teachers from randomly selected Slovenian primary schools were surveyed (78 men and 80 women, aged 28-60 years) in April 2010.Teachers at selected schools volunteered to take part in the study and their participation was anonymous.A questionnaire (Bežek, 2000;Štihec, Bežek, Videmšek, & Karpljuk, 2004) with 17 questions was used.The frequencies of responses were calculated.The F 2 test was applied at a 5% risk level (p ≤ 0.05) to verify whether there were any diff erences between male and female physical education teachers in terms of selecting a confl ict resolution strategy.RESULTS: It was established that teachers use various approaches to resolving confl ict situations.Most often they take an authoritarian approach ("insisting on one's own opinion").Statistically signifi cant diff erences were identifi ed between the results of the male and female physical education teachers in some pedagogical situations in terms of choosing a confl ict resolution strategy. CONCLUSIONS:The teachers mainly approach the resolving of confl ict situations by "insisting on their own opinion".In the course of resolving a confl ict, inconsistencies often occur but are mainly the consequence of the desire to ensure an effi cient and the fastest possible elimination of the confl ict behaviour.It was also established that in some cases the male physical education teachers diff ered from their female counterparts in terms of which confl ict resolution strategies they selected.In further research some other factors, such as the teacher's age, cultural environment, the teacher's target orientation, the teacher's emotional intelligence and leadership styles could be analysed.

Process interoperability is important to achieve collaborative product design across enterprise boundaries. In this paper, first analyzes interoperability requirements in collaborative design process. Then the Process Specification Language (PSL) is introduced to design process modeling and PSL description method of design process information is given. In the end, a process interoperability framework is established based on PSL ontology and main function of modules are discussed. The framework provides an effective solution for information exchange and sharing among different process management systems in collaborative product design.

Collaborative design is a new design style for mechanical manufacture, which is an important means in networked manufacture. Designers work at the same time will encounter the conflict, which should be solved. Firstly, the class of conflict is addressed to make a basis for conflict resolution. Then the conflict resolution method is applied. The resolution model is set up. According to the conflict, four resolution methods are applied, which are constrained and relaxation method, method based on reasoning, reasoning method based on example and law of arbitration. The process of resolution is provided. Dead locks phenomena are danger for system. A set of dead lock resolution mechanism are provided to solve the problem. By means of a case study, the method proposed can assist designers during the conflict resolution.

Team member composition is an important factor in collaborative design. The purpose of this study was to explore the behavioral differences in the collaborative design process with different team members’ thinking style composition. A design process of nine design teams with three different thinking style composition types was selected from a previous study. The material was transcribed and coded according to behavior, discussion, drawing, and writing. The numbers of concepts, sketches, and consensus were also calculated. The results illustrated different behaviors with different thinking style compositions.

The need for alignment between business strategies and business processes is today manifested in many different ways. This chapter presents experiences from a collaborative process modeling and process design effort performed at Intersport Sweden. The main purpose with the process modelling and process design was to serve, as a solid base for the transformation of Intersport Sweden into the future. In this effort an important part was that the new process design was in clear alignment with the new strategic business model. By a collaborative co-design approach for deriving and designing business process models diverse stakeholders’ knowledge and interest were captured in the development of tangible process descriptions of the future. The new strategic business plan has through collaborative process design been given a meaning and participating actors have become committed to implement this new business strategy.

This study proposes to construct a product development model through using knowledge management system. This model aims to help the design engineers and their upstream and downstream partners in the supply chains to develop products synchronously and simultaneously through the computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) tools. The collaborative design in this model consists of three layers: data layer, information layer, and knowledge layer, which separately deals with product data exchange, information sharing and collaborative decision-making in the design process. Based on the principle of product design, the study had integrated the innovation method of theory of invention problem solving (TRIZ) with the methods of knowledge management to develop this collaborative design model. This model includes knowledge management platform and integrating the design notions of innovation, environment protection and manufacturability; it can also serve as a feasible reference for products collaborative design and development process. Key words: Knowledge management system, collaborative design, computer supported cooperative work.