A simulation-based method to evaluate the impact of product architecture on product evolvability
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163_2015_Article_202.pdf
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Author(s)
Luo Sr, Jianxi
Date Issued
September 2015
Journal
Research in Engineering Design
Publisher
Springer London
Citation
Luo, Jianxi. “A Simulation-Based Method to Evaluate the Impact of Product Architecture on Product Evolvability.” Research in Engineering Design 26.4 (2015): 355–371.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Products evolve over time via the continual redesigns of interdependent components. Product architecture, which is embodied in the structure of interactions among components, influences the ability for the product to be subsequently evolved. Despite extensive studies of change propagation via inter-component connections, little is known about the specific influences of product architecture on product evolvability. Related metrics and methods to assess the evolvability of products with given architectures are also under-developed. This paper proposes a simulation-based method to assess the isolated effect of product architecture on product evolvability by analyzing a design structure matrix. We define product evolvability as the ability of the product’s design to subsequently generate heritable performance-improving variations, and propose a quantitative measure for it. We demonstrate the proposed method by using it to investigate a wide spectrum of model-generated DSMs representing products with varied architectures, and show that modularity and inter-component influence cycles promote product evolvability. Our primary contribution is a repeatable method to assess and compare alternative product architectures for architecture selection or redesign for evolvability. A second contribution is the simulation-based evidence about the impacts of two particular product architectural patterns on product evolvability. Both contributions aim to aid in designing for evolvability.
MIT Department
SUTD-MIT International Design Centre (IDC)
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-015-0202-3
