Multi-dimensional design process management by extended product modeling for concurrent process engineering

Conventional product and process models have focused on static features. Th at means product models are mainly based on structural decomposition of pro ducts, and process models are also often described by activity decompositio n such as work breakdown structure. From the view of design process managem ent, it is difficult to describe dynamic features of design processes appro priately through conventional methodologies. In this paper, a multidimensio nal approach for design process management was explored to manifest charact eristics of design processes for chemical plant design. Parallelized design process for concurrent process engineering should be managed by two dimens ional design activity flows. The process management makes it possible to gu ide progress of design processes in a helix structure by horizontal and ver tical activity control simultaneously. They stand for teleological and caus al relation between design activities, respectively. That can be achieved b ased on an extended product model, which represents various design perspect ives explicitly from a conventional design activity model. The extended pro duct model is composed of product data, design activities, and activity dri vers. Dynamic features of the extended product model are expressed by an ac tivity chain model. These concepts will support the realization of concurre nt process engineering for chemical plant design in the sense that they pro vide design process management strategies.