Design process planning by multi-objective optimization of technical performance and product integrity

Abstract

This paper proposes a design process planning method evaluating individual technical performances and total product integrity. A planning of design process is a complicated optimization problem including a number of various design variables and various evaluation indices. In order to solve this problem with a reasonable computation cost, this research introduces a two-phase optimization problem. The first phase is defining of process architecture and organization structure and. The second phase is scheduling of resource allocation into activities. A growth curve model with a fuzzy number is used to evaluate the achievement probability of technical performance and its total integrity. This paper demonstrates its application to a student design project. A proposed planning method facilitates a project manager to explore various process plans, to assess their risks, and decide a temporary plan. © 2012 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers.