A rule-based method for scalable and traceable evaluation of system architectures

Despite the development of a variety of decision-aid tools for assessing the value of a conceptual design, humans continue to play a dominant role in this process. Researchers have identified two major challenges to automation, namely the subjectivity of value and the existence of multiple and conflicting customer needs. A third challenge is however arising as the amount of data (e.g., expert judgment, requirements, and engineering models) required to assess value increases. This brings two challenges. First, it becomes harder to modify existing knowledge or add new knowledge into the knowledge base. Second, it becomes harder to trace the results provided by the tool back to the design variables and model parameters. Current tools lack the scalability and traceability required to tackle these knowledge-intensive design evaluation problems. This work proposes a traceable and scalable rule-based architecture evaluation tool called VASSAR that is especially tailored to tackle knowledge-intensive problems that can be formulated as configuration design problems, which is demonstrated using the conceptual design task for a laptop. The methodology has three main steps. First, facts containing the capabilities and performance of different architectures are computed using rules containing physical and logical models. Second, capabilities are compared with requirements to assess satisfaction of each requirement. Third, requirement satisfaction is aggregated to yield a manageable number of metrics. An explanation facility keeps track of the value chain all along this process. This paper describes the methodology in detail and discusses in particular different implementations of preference functions as logical rules. A full-scale example around the design of Earth observing satellites is presented

Integrated Model of Product Design Methods

A critical factor in product innovation creativity is the development of design methodologies in various fields. The design and manufacture of a product, whether new or existing, is a significant part of engineering activities. The ability to design, develop, and produce products that customers want efficiently is the key to success in today’s dynamic global market. Among these capabilities is the ability to design products that are competitive, cost-effective, and ready to be marketed on time. One key factor for maintaining competitiveness in the market is the focus on product and innovation processes by using various integrated design methods that are implemented as a standard part of design activities. The innovative integrated method, which combines various product design methods precisely can solve the main contradictory problems in the process from product demand analysis, product design, to production

AI and OR in management of operations: history and trends

The last decade has seen a considerable growth in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for operations management with the aim of finding solutions to problems that are increasing in complexity and scale. This paper begins by setting the context for the survey through a historical perspective of OR and AI. An extensive survey of applications of AI techniques for operations management, covering a total of over 1200 papers published from 1995 to 2004 is then presented. The survey utilizes Elsevier's ScienceDirect database as a source. Hence, the survey may not cover all the relevant journals but includes a sufficiently wide range of publications to make it representative of the research in the field. The papers are categorized into four areas of operations management: (a) design, (b) scheduling, (c) process planning and control and (d) quality, maintenance and fault diagnosis. Each of the four areas is categorized in terms of the AI techniques used: genetic algorithms, case-based reasoning, knowledge-based systems, fuzzy logic and hybrid techniques. The trends over the last decade are identified, discussed with respect to expected trends and directions for future work suggested

The Implications of Applying Total Quality Management (TQM) On E-Learning in Egypt. “Suggested E-Learning Service Quality Model”

Egypt is seeking to accelerate comprehensive and sustainable development and to achieve higher growth rates for the interest of all classes and categories of society. According to what was published in 1/7/2013 by the public association for adult education AEA at the information and decision support centre in Egypt; 14.9% of population in age between 15 and 35 years old are illiterate. Here, we have to ask:" How a society where 14.9% of its young working power is illiterate can execute the mentioned adopted strategy of development?!"The Egyptian young working power is poor educated due to the bad education system ranking 131 out of 144 in the world. There is a need for a good High Educational system, affordable to those who does not have the opportunity to leave there jobs, from where they gain to live, in order to have a good education to improve their social life, and help them being part of the required development. Making benefit from the technological revolution and the excitement and passion of using it, can give the chance to offer an E-learning service through which a human development could be achieved. Then, strategies could be well adopted to improve society. In Organizations; Total Quality Management (TQM) has become most widely used management acronym and is considered as the buzz word in the management practices, keeping an eye on details. TQM is mainly concerned with continuous improvement in all work, from high level strategic planning and decision-making, to detailed execution of work elements on the shop floor. On the other hand, Enterprises find ways to set themselves apart in the hyper-competitive global marketplace by applying e-service. E-Service may provide the greatest return on investment (ROI) and sets the foundation for adding and integrating other E-Business functionality in the future. Customers can achieve the service through web page without a need to any help or support at any time. E-service and Total quality management (TQM) seek for same goals, but from different perspectives. Now, what if an organisation offers an E-service while applying Total quality management (TQM)? Hoping to achieve a good affordable High educational E-learning system, it was decided to study “The Implications of applying TQM on E-Learning in Egypt”. This is for the great impact of the E- learning quality on the education as main national issue in Egypt. E-Learning was implemented in the near past few years, through limited programs in national Universities, and the Egyptian E-learning University established in 2009. The Quality management were also taken as essential of management in the higher educational institutes there. This research take a track to suggest Total Quality management Model to improve E-learning service offered in one of the Higher Educational Institutes in Egypt. The suggested e-learning Model emphasize that the eight elements of TQM were engaged in the Baldrige criteria framework. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) the main tool of evaluation of all the processes. The Idea of this model is to use Quality function Deployment (QFD) to translate and plan the‖ voice of the customer‖ into the quality characteristique of the service before enter the market. QFD analyse the client‘s requirements,define how each requirement will be satisfied by the service,organize the needs,illustrate the relationship between the requirement of the customer in the market and the needs to fullfil them. The result will be transmitted to the leadership Management,who will deploy the quality ,and apply the eight Total Quality Management Principles going through the seven categories of the Baldrige Criteria. The result of all the model phases shall affect the learner through the afforded high quality E-learning service. The high qualified personnel educated through the high quality E-learning system, will affect the social culture and environment from where comes the ―voice of cutomer‖, to be analyzed through the QFD, to the leadership management, and the improvement cycle continue.The suggested E-learning service Quality Model represents required emerged recognised set of procedures for validation of quality framework

Product Design

Product design is a comprehensive process related to the creation of new products, and the ability to design and develop efficient products are key to success in today’s dynamic global market. Written by experts in the field, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the product design process and its applications in various fields, particularly engineering. Over seven chapters, the authors explore such topics as development of new product design methodologies, implementation of effective methods for integrated products, development of more visualized environments for task-based conceptual design methods, and development of engineering design tools based on 3D photogrammetry, among others

Design function deployment: a concurrent engineering design system

The current state of activities in the design and manufacturing industry is marked by the various CAD/CAM/CAE systems which exist as islands of automation, and are used by engineers and designers in a non-integrated and ill-structured way. Thus the design problem is examined from separate and different perspectives, rather than as a whole. The goal of this research, is to develop a comprehensive, integrated and generic design system, that will ensure the realisation of concurrent engineering in practice. To this end, Design Function Deployment (DFD) has been developed. DFD enables the capture of customers' requirements, the establishment of design specifications and constraints in a solution neutral form, the generation of conceptual designs (architectures), the development of detailed designs layouts), the selection of materials and associated manufacturing processes and the development of suitable production plans. The generated design solutions are optimised against a composite set of multi-criteria (attributes) in a concurrent manner for key factors such as performance, robustness and cost as well as other life cycle issues (manufacture, assembly, serviceability, reliability, environment, etc) in order to choose the most satisfying design. DFD provides a recipe of design methods to support the designer or design team at any stage of the design process. The optimisation process involves the use of these supporting design tools (methods) encapsulated within it. DFD also provides an integrated product modelling environment which integrates both textual and geometric design information, and enables the capture of other design information related to design intent, rationale and history. The research that led to the evolution and development of DFD involved (a) a detailed investigation and research on Quality Function Deployment, QFD, a technique well suited for capturing and translating customer requirements into design specifications, (b) an extensive review of design philosophies, models, methods and systems and (c) an extensive investigation into concurrent engineering. The findings of this research has led to the development of the structure of the DFD system, which incorporates (1) a prescriptive design model, (2) a suite of design methods and (3) supporting knowledge/rulebases and databases, which are used for the generation of the design solution space and the optimal selection of the most satisfying design for subsequent implementation

Supply Chain

Traditionally supply chain management has meant factories, assembly lines, warehouses, transportation vehicles, and time sheets. Modern supply chain management is a highly complex, multidimensional problem set with virtually endless number of variables for optimization. An Internet enabled supply chain may have just-in-time delivery, precise inventory visibility, and up-to-the-minute distribution-tracking capabilities. Technology advances have enabled supply chains to become strategic weapons that can help avoid disasters, lower costs, and make money. From internal enterprise processes to external business transactions with suppliers, transporters, channels and end-users marks the wide range of challenges researchers have to handle. The aim of this book is at revealing and illustrating this diversity in terms of scientific and theoretical fundamentals, prevailing concepts as well as current practical applications