Collaborative project management framework for partner network initiation in machining domain

Abstract

Many manufacturing companies are facing problems related to the initiation and management of collaborative manufacturing projects. Collaboration between small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) enables business partners to share equipment, labour, and skill-sets to fulfil larger projects in Partner Network (PN). We define PN as a group of companies that work together to enhance the capabilities of each other. The start of a new project triggers the establishment of a Virtual Organisation (VO). In this research paper, we present the framework for Collaborative Project Management in VO that includes the following collaboration-process steps: project initiation, project-plan preparation, searching for a subcontractor, preparation of quotations, evaluation of PN proposals, project-proposal formations, PN-agreement elaboration, and project management. In the current paper, the authors suggest using the novel five level modeling approach for Collaborative Business Process (CBP) modeling. Authors are using the Value-Added Chain (VAC) and Event Process Chain (EPC) notations to design the CBP in the ARIS architect software that enables to visualize the inputs, outputs and relationships between high level and low-level business processes. Project management in a VO is more sustainable then in conventional supply chains due to the common tools that enable the measurement of project success in a unified way with the possibility of responding quickly to changed conditions.