Papers and Reports:
Informing decision makers in product design and manufacture, R.I.M. Young
The focus is on the concept of data model driven design and manufacture. Discussing the general requirements for information in decision support the paper provides a rather detailed analysis of the key issues like structure and classification of information types with sufficient flexibility for future needs, information sharing and management, knowledge versus information support and information system design methods.
Whereas information structure and classification follows a process oriented approach using activities to identify related information, process modelling is not mentioned as a potential means. Some emphasis has been placed on the distinction between product information like customer needs, product specification, process plans and supporting knowledge - design history, standard parts, resources, processes - across the product life cycle.
The paper concludes with the description of a distributed information infrastructure including a rather simplified illustrative example of an injection-moulded product.
For more information: r.i.young@lboro.ac.uk
Intern. Journal of CIM, Vol. 16, (2003), Nr. 6, pp 428-438, http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals