System team composition for a complex system to enable integration and attribute management

Abstract

The automatic transmission is a very complex system in a modern automobile with several hundred components performing mechanical, hydraulic and electronic functions. System integration and attribute management are key challenges in the design and development of an automatic transmission. The system and sub system team structure can play a key part in the success of this development. A properly structured team can enhance the communication between the engineers designing the individual components, ensure that all interfaces between the components are properly managed and appropriate design actions are in place for best in class attributes. This thesis analyzes the current team structure and composition that is in place in the Automatic Transmission Division at Ford Motor Company and offers recommendations to improve the composition to better align the sub system teams with the actual workings of the transmission. The main tool that is used to enable this work is the Design Structure Matrix (DSM). Communication between individual team members is compared to components that physically touch or exchange energy through hydraulic means, or exchange electrical signals and preferred team compositions for effectively engineering these sub systems are proposed. The efficacy of these teams to manage attributes like noise and shift quality is also discussed.