| dc.description.abstract | The inability to approach systematically the high level of ambiguity present in the early design phases of space
systems causes long, highly iterative, and costly design cycles. A process is introduced and described to capture
decision maker preferences and use them to generate and evaluate a multitude of space system designs, while
providing a common metric that can be easily communicated throughout the design enterprise. Communication
channeled through formal utility interviews and analysis enables engineers to better understand the key drivers
for the system and allows for a more thorough exploration of the design tradespace. Multi-attribute tradespace
exploration with concurrent design, a process incorporating decision theory into model- and simulation-based
design, has been applied to several space system projects at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Preliminary
results indicate that this process can improve the quality of communication to resolve more quickly project
ambiguity and to enable the engineer to discover better value designs for multiple stakeholders. The process is
also integrated into a concurrent design environment to facilitate the transfer of knowledge of important drivers
into higher fidelity design phases. Formal utility theory provides a mechanism to bridge the language barrier
between experts of different backgrounds and differing needs, for example, scientists, engineers, managers, etc.
Multi-attribute tradespace exploration with concurrent design couples decision makers more closely to the design
and, most important, maintains their presence between formal reviews. | en_US |
