From collaborative practices analysis to improvements in the definition of PDM workflows
Résumé
Design co-ordination implies task management, scheduling, planning, and resource management. Human factors have a major influence on these points. Thus analysing collaborative practices used in the product development process can bring useful improvements in co-ordinating the design process. Our final research goal is to help project managers in their co-ordination tasks by taking into account the impact of collaboration on the design process. The scope of this paper is restricted to the improvements in design processes implemented through PDM (Product Data Management) workflows. We first propose an integrated method based on the use of a tool called CoCa which enables tracking of collaborative events in design projects. This method includes the analysis of the events recorded and the identification of detailed design sub-processes that specify flexible workflows for PDM systems. A case study carried out in a SME illustrates the method.