Managing the integration problem in concurrent engineering
Concurrent engineering in large-scale product development generally involves multiple cross-functional teams working simultaneously on separate aspects of the overall development effort. The often complex technical coupling among such teams makes integrating their activities an essential yet difficult task for project management. We refer to this challenge of integrating teams as the integration problem in concurrent engineering. This paper presents a methodology for determining the needs for integration and coordination by studying the underlying technical structure of a project. We use a project modeling tool known as the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) to depict the patterns of required information flow in a project. This matrix representation allows us to identify where coordination is most essential and then to design integration mechanisms based on the specific technical information needs of the project. The utility of this methodology in an industrial setting is demonstrated by an application to the development of a new automobile engine at General Motors. Thesis Advisor: Steven D. Eppinger Associate Professor of Management Science Sloan School of Management Acknowledgments This research was funded by General Motors and the Leaders for Manufacturing Program, a partnership involving eleven major U.S. manufacturing firms and M.I.T.'s schools of engineering and management. I would like to thank Steven Eppinger for his patience, Chris Huber and Mark Morelli for their diversion, my mother, Louise M. McCord, for her support, and Debbie for her love. Table of