Planning methods such as CPM and PERT cannot model the iterative details of design processes. It has been demonstrated that the Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) is an effective method to model iterative process. However, formulating the DSM on large construction projects, using current methodologies is challenging. To address this challenge, a structured methodology called Design Interface Management System "diMs" has been proposed. As the documents and interactions required for implementing the "diMs" process are voluminous, support of an IT based tool is essential. This paper presents the design and the development of the tool. It includes the design of class structure, relational database and communication engine using object oriented concepts. In addition, the design of user interface which consists of a set of dynamic web pages is also explained. The paper also illustrates the usage of the tool for the design of a glass factory and discusses the utility of the tool in assisting design interface management. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Koshy Varghese

Department Of Civil Engineering

CLASS STRUCTURES

COMMUNICATION ENGINES

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

DEPENDENCY STRUCTURE MATRIXES

DESIGN INTERFACE

DESIGN MANAGEMENT

Design process

DRAWING DSM

DYNAMIC WEB-PAGES

GLASS FACTORIES

Iterative process

Object-oriented concepts

planning method

Relational Database

Web-based system

Construction industry

Electric load management

Information management

Project management

User interfaces

Websites

Structural design

IIT Madras is a public technical and research university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1959, it is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.

IIT Madras has been ranked as the top engineering institute in India for four years in a row by the National Institutional Ranking Framework of the MHRD

It currently offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees across 16 disciplines in Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Management. About 596 faculty belonging to science and engineering departments and centres of the Institute are engaged in teaching, research and industrial consultancy.

IIT Madras

Automation in Construction

Purpose: The building design processes today are complex, involving many disciplines and issues like collaboration, concurrency and collocation. Several studies have focused on understanding and modeling formal information exchange in these processes. Few past studies have also identified the importance of informal information exchanges in the design process and proposed passive solutions for facilitating this exchange. The purpose of this paper is to term the informal information as ad hoc information and explores if components of ad hoc information exchanges can be actively managed. Design/methodology/approach: An MDM-based framework integrating product, process and people dependencies is proposed and a prototype platform to implement this framework is developed. The demonstration on the usage of this platform to identify information paths during collaboration and hence manage ad hoc information exchanges is presented through an example problem. Findings: Based on the effectiveness of the prototype platform in identifying information paths for design queries, it is concluded that the proposed framework is useful for actively managing some components of ad hoc information exchange. Originality/value: This research enables the design manager/participants to make a more informed decision on requesting and releasing design information. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

A framework for ad hoc information management for the building design process

Multidisciplinary design for construction is a complex and iterative process. Because conventional planning tools cannot model iterations, a matrix-based methodology called design structure matrix (DSM) has been developed. Although this approach has shown the potential to model and manage iterative design processes, there is no widespread application. It has been documented that the formation of the DSM is a key limitation to its practical application. Furthermore, the findings of an action research-based investigation on implementing the DSM approach on multiple construction projects suggested the formation of a drawing-based DSM rather than the conventional activity-based DSM to improve applicability. The study also proposed a structured methodology called design interface management system (diMs) to form the drawing design structure matrix. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of diMs methodology and its implementation on the construction design processes. The testing was conducted through a comparative study of two design cases of a large airport design process. The performance of the design management process of the test group that used diMs was compared with the control group that used existing design management practices. The data for the comparative study were obtained through document and questionnaire-based assessment criteria. The comparison of these assessment criteria shows significant improvements in the design management process for the test group. The basis for these improvements was further evaluated through multiple sources of evidences such as focused interviews, physical visits, open-ended interviews, and participatory observations. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Journal of Management in Engineering

Case study-based testing of design interface management system

Dependency structure matrix (DSM) concepts have been applied effectively to represent and manage complex design processes. However, the author's attempts to implement the concepts on large construction projects faced limitations. The key limitation was that the identification of elements for activity DSM at the appropriate level of abstraction required significant levels of expertise. As drawings are well-defined entities that are directly identifiable by the design team, this paper proposes that drawing DSM (DDSM) be used to manage the design process. Further, as drawing production is a complex task containing many subactivities, a structured method is required to identify the dependencies between the drawings. Based on a systems approach, a three-stage structured methodology to decompose the project and identify the drawing interfaces is developed. The conceptual details of this methodology are explained and the steps are illustrated using a generic example. The paper also presents the application of the methodology to an airport project and discusses the results obtained as well as the necessary future improvements. © 2009 Earthscan.

Architectural Engineering and Design Management

Structured methodology to formulate drawing dependency structure matrix for construction design

The dependency structure matrix (DSM) has been identified as an apt tool to represent information flows between activities. Using this representation, information dependency attributes can be organized and analyzed in a structured manner to identify activity groups and sequences for concurrent execution. Current DSM methodology requires significant efforts from the experts to estimate information dependency attributes. The methodology can be more widely used if the estimating efforts are reduced. This paper proposes two concepts to reduce the estimating efforts required for the DSM methodology. The first concept reduces the number of information dependency ratings required and the second concept reduces the effort to estimate the rating. The proposed concepts are structured into a procedure. This procedure is applied to the design phase of an induced draft cooling tower (IDCT) project and discussed. The paper also discusses the shortcomings and future directions of the present approach and concludes that the present approach is applicable in IDCT projects and can be extended to other types of projects. © ASCE.

Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

Application of dependency structure matrix for activity sequencing in concurrent engineering projects

Automation and Remote Control

International conference “Hardware and Software for Systems of Control, Supervision, and Measurement (UKI’08)” (Moscow, November 10–12, 2008)

Journal	Automation in Construction
ISSN	09265805
Open Access	No