Integrating narratives into decision making for complex systems engineering design issues

Engineering decision making and design requires collaboration between groups from different disciplines, each with different tools, vocabulary, and concerns. Traditional engineering decision-making tools are generally based on understanding the decision makers’ values, modeling uncertainty with probability, and selecting the alternative that maximizes utility. This rational approach to decision making may not be well understood or used by many stakeholders involved in the engineering design process. Constructing narratives, a basic means of human communication, may aid in engineering communication and comprehension and help with decision making. Narratives represent events by means of a story and usually include characters or agents who cause events and to whom events happen. This paper recommends three methods for how the use of narrative can be applied to the area of engineering decision making. These methods include connecting the decision maker to the analysis, creating narrative simulations for training decision makers, and fostering consensus in problems with multiple stakeholders. An illustrative example of designing a better cookstove for the developing world demonstrates the role that understanding narratives of various stakeholders can play for accomplishing complex systems engineering

A conceptual system design and managerial complexity competency model

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Complex adaptive systems are usually difficult to design and control. There are several particular methods for coping with complexity, but there is no general approach to build complex adaptive systems. The challenges of designing complex adaptive systems in a highly dynamic world drive the need for anticipatory capacity within engineering organizations, with a goal of enabling the design of systems that can cope with an unpredictable environment. This thesis explores this question of enhancing anticipatory capacity through the study of a complex adaptive system design methodology and complexity management competencies. A general introduction to challenges and issues in complex adaptive systems design is given, since a good understanding of the industrial context is considered necessary in order to avoid oversimplification of the problem, neglecting certain important factors and being unaware of important influences and relationships. In addition, a general introduction to complex thinking is given, since designing complex adaptive systems requires a non-classical thought, while practical notions of complexity theory and design are put forward. Building on these, the research proposes a Complex Systems Life-Cycle Understanding and Design (CXLUD) methodology to aid system architects and engineers in the design and control of complex adaptive systems. Starting from a creative anticipation construct - a loosening mechanism to allow for more options to be considered, the methodology proposes a conceptual framework and a series of stages to follow to find proper mechanisms that will promote elements to desired solutions by actively interacting among themselves. To illustrate the methodology, a financial systemic risks infrastructure systems architecture development case study is presented. The final part of this thesis develops a conceptual model to analyse managerial complexity competency model from a qualitative phenomenological study perspective. The model developed in this research is called Understanding-Perception-Action (UPA) managerial complexity competency model. The results of this competency model can be used to help ease project manager’s transition into complex adaptive projects, as well as serve as a foundation to launch qualitative and quantitative research into this area of project complexity management

Use of (Q)SAR genotoxicity predictions and fuzzy multicriteria decision-making for priority ranking of ethoxyquin transformation products

Ethoxyquin (EQ; 6-ethoxy-2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline) has been used as an antioxidant in feed for pets and food-producing animals, including farmed fish such as Atlantic salmon. In Europe, the authorization for use of EQ as a feed additive was suspended, due to knowledge gaps concerning the presence and toxicity of EQ transformation products (TPs). Recent analytical studies focusing on the detection of EQ TPs in farmed Atlantic salmon feed and fillets reported the detection of a total of 27 EQ TPs, comprising both known and previously not described EQ TPs. We devised and applied an in silico workflow to rank these EQ TPs according to their genotoxic potential and their occurrence data in Atlantic salmon feed and fillet. Ames genotoxicity predictions were obtained applying a suite of five (quantitative) structure–activity relationship ((Q)SAR) tools, namely VEGA, TEST, LAZAR, Derek Nexus and Sarah Nexus. (Q)SAR Ames genotoxicity predictions were aggregated using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fAHP) multicriteria decision-making (MCDM). A priority ranking of EQ TPs was performed based on combining both fAHP ranked (Q)SAR predictions and analytical occurrence data. The applied workflow prioritized four newly identified EQ TPs for further investigation of genotoxicity. The fAHP-based prioritization strategy described here, can easily be applied to other toxicity endpoints and groups of chemicals for priority ranking of compounds of most concern for subsequent experimental and mechanistic toxicology analyses.publishedVersio

Assessing Technique Applicability towards Ideation Taxonomy for Engineering Design Concept / N. M. M. Rasidi...[et al.]

This paper aims to identify students’ perception of the level of applicability of techniques that have been applied in the process of engineering design idea generation. Various techniques have been developed to facilitate the process of generating ideas. However, in generating engineering design concepts, a special technique involving the application of creative solutions and specific engineering analysis is required. This will need students to determine the appropriateness of the techniques to be adopted which will help to accelerate the process of generating ideas. This survey employed a questionnaire that was developed based on the Six P’s creativity model; and the analysis carried out using the Rasch measurement models. The respondents consist of 160 mechanical engineering students from four local universities in Malaysia that are involved in engineering design courses. The student’s data were analysed descriptively based on the frequency of use of techniques and percentage of agreement against applicability techniques. The reliability of the developed questionnaire was 0.89, while the overall five selected techniques showed an approval percentage of more than 60 percent per context. The overall findings implied that the use of a combination of creative and technical techniques helped students in the six contexts of creativity in idea generation. As a result, a hierarchy of technique application in the process of generating ideas for design engineering concept was developed. The hierarchy of techniques was used to develop a taxonomy that could serve as a reference guide for students and lecturers in the determination of the appropriateness of techniques for the aspects of what ought to be achieved in the process of generating ideas

Review of Systems Engineering (SE) Methods and Their Application to Wave Energy Technology Development

The design of effective and economically viable wave energy devices involves complex decision-making about the product based on conceptual design information, including stakeholder requirements, functions, components and technical parameters. The great diversity of concepts makes it extremely difficult to create fair comparisons of the relative merits of the many different designs. Conventional design approaches have proved insufficient to guarantee wave energy technologies meet their technical and economic goals. Systems engineering can provide a suitable framework to overcome the obstacles towards a successful wave energy technology. The main objective of this work is to review the well-established systems engineering approaches that have been successfully implemented in complex engineering problems and to what extent they have been applied to wave energy technology development. The paper first reviews how system information can be organised in different design domains to guide the synthesis and analysis activities and the definition of requirements and metrics, as well as the search for solutions and decision-making. Then, an exhaustive literature review on the application of systems engineering approaches to wave energy development is presented per design domain. Finally, a set of conclusions is drawn, along with some suggestions for improving the effectiveness of wave energy technology development.Authors would like to thank the Basque Government through the research groups IT1314‐19 and GIU19/276 and the Scottish Government for the support of Wave Energy Scotland

ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks: a literature review

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is a complex and vibrant process, one that involves a combination of technological and organizational interactions. Often an ERP implementation project is the single largest IT project that an organization has ever launched and requires a mutual fit of system and organization. Also the concept of an ERP implementation supporting business processes across many different departments is not a generic, rigid and uniform concept and depends on variety of factors. As a result, the issues addressing the ERP implementation process have been one of the major concerns in industry. Therefore ERP implementation receives attention from practitioners and scholars and both, business as well as academic literature is abundant and not always very conclusive or coherent. However, research on ERP systems so far has been mainly focused on diffusion, use and impact issues. Less attention has been given to the methods used during the configuration and the implementation of ERP systems, even though they are commonly used in practice, they still remain largely unexplored and undocumented in Information Systems research. So, the academic relevance of this research is the contribution to the existing body of scientific knowledge. An annotated brief literature review is done in order to evaluate the current state of the existing academic literature. The purpose is to present a systematic overview of relevant ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks as a desire for achieving a better taxonomy of ERP implementation methodologies. This paper is useful to researchers who are interested in ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Results will serve as an input for a classification of the existing ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Also, this paper aims also at the professional ERP community involved in the process of ERP implementation by promoting a better understanding of ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks, its variety and history

Product/Brand co-creation methodology crossing marketing, design thinking, creativity and management: ideas(r)evolution

This thesis introduce a new innovation methodology called IDEAS(R)EVOLUTION that was developed according to an on-going experimental research project started in 2007. This new approach to innovation has initial based on Design thinking for innovation theory and practice. The concept of design thinking for innovation has received much attention in recent years. This innovation approach has climbed from the design and designers knowledge field towards other knowledge areas, mainly business management and marketing. Human centered approach, radical collaboration, creativity and breakthrough thinking are the main founding principles of Design thinking that were adapted by those knowledge areas due to their assertively and fitness to the business context and market complexity evolution. Also Open innovation, User-centered innovation and later on Living Labs models emerge as answers to the market and consumers pressure and desire for new products, new services or new business models. Innovation became the principal business management focus and strategic orientation. All this changes had an impact also in the marketing theory. It is possible now to have better strategies, communications plans and continuous dialogue systems with the target audience, incorporating their insights and promoting them to the main dissemination ambassadors of our innovations in the market. Drawing upon data from five case studies, the empirical findings in this dissertation suggest that companies need to shift from Design thinking for innovation approach to an holistic, multidimensional and integrated innovation system. The innovation context it is complex, companies need deeper systems then the success formulas that “commercial “Design thinking for innovation “preaches”. They need to learn how to change their organization culture, how to empower their workforce and collaborators, how to incorporate external stakeholders in their innovation processes, hoe to measure and create key performance indicators throughout the innovation process to give them better decision making data, how to integrate meaning and purpose in their innovation philosophy. Finally they need to understand that the strategic innovation effort it is not a “one shot” story it is about creating a continuous flow of interaction and dialogue with their clients within a “value creation chain“ mindset; RESUMO: Metodologia de co-criação de um produto/marca cruzando Marketing, Design Thinking, Criativity and Management - IDEAS(R)EVOLUTION. Esta dissertação apresenta uma nova metodologia de inovação chamada IDEAS(R)EVOLUTION, que foi desenvolvida segundo um projecto de investigação experimental contínuo que teve o seu início em 2007. Esta nova abordagem baseou-se, inicialmente, na teoria e na práctica do Design thinking para a inovação. Actualmente o conceito do Design Thinking para a inovação “saiu” do dominio da area de conhecimento do Design e dos Designers, tendo despertado muito interesse noutras áreas como a Gestão e o Marketing. Uma abordagem centrada na Pessoa, a colaboração radical, a criatividade e o pensamento disruptivo são principios fundadores do movimento do Design thinking que têm sido adaptados por essas novas áreas de conhecimento devido assertividade e adaptabilidade ao contexto dos negócios e à evolução e complexidade do Mercado. Também os modelos de Inovação Aberta, a inovação centrada no utilizador e mais tarde os Living Labs, emergem como possiveis soluções para o Mercado e para a pressão e desejo dos consumidores para novos productos, serviços ou modelos de negócio. A inovação passou a ser o principal foco e orientação estratégica na Gestão. Todas estas mudanças também tiveram impacto na teoria do Marketing. Hoje é possivel criar melhores estratégias, planos de comunicação e sistemas continuos de diálogo com o público alvo, incorporando os seus insights e promovendo os consumidores como embaixadores na disseminação da inovação das empresas no Mercado Os resultados empiricos desta tese, construídos com a informação obtida nos cinco casos realizados, sugerem que as empresas precisam de se re-orientar do paradigma do Design thinking para a inovação, para um sistema de inovação mais holistico, multidimensional e integrado. O contexto da Inovação é complexo, por isso as empresas precisam de sistemas mais profundos e não apenas de “fórmulas comerciais” como o Design thinking para a inovação advoga. As Empresas precisam de aprender como mudar a sua cultura organizacional, como capacitar sua força de trabalho e colaboradores, como incorporar os públicos externos no processo de inovação, como medir o processo de inovação criando indicadores chave de performance e obter dados para um tomada de decisão mais informada, como integrar significado e propósito na sua filosofia de inovação. Por fim, precisam de perceber que uma estratégia de inovação não passa por ter “sucesso uma vez”, mas sim por criar um fluxo contínuo de interação e diálogo com os seus clientes com uma mentalidade de “cadeia de criação de valor

Gestão de Recursos Finitos em Empresas

The present work has as goal aiding decision makers, researchers, enterprises and practitioners by developing a proper literature review as a base for comparison among multiple-criteria decision making methods in finite resources management according to each of the most important areas of a business environment. Efficient resource management decision making in companies impacts its value creation capability and, therefore, its competitiveness and ultimate success. The methodology for paper research follows the PRISMA flow diagram, for correct paper filtrations according to the set of criteria stablished in alignment with the thesis goal. The papers included in the study are any that employ multiple-criteria decision making methods in their pure forms, in combination with each other forming hybrids, or in combination with other mathematical techniques for solving decision making problems across five major areas of a company’s body. The five major areas are: (1) Supply Chain Management and Logistics; (2) Environmental Management; (3) Business and Marketing Management; (4) Design, Engineering and Manufacturing Systems; and (5) Human Resources Management. The 204 final papers are presented separated by their corresponding application areas, ordered by number of citations, which is used as a measure of their scientific community relevance. They are also classified by, author, nationality, journal, year, type of research and methods used. All collected data is used for quantitative statistical analysis, with which is possible to collect more in-depth information on the literature research. Focused comments on the main methods are also present in this work, with observations made on the many applications and variations each of them had throughout the articles in the research. The AHP and TOPSIS approaches, either with their fuzzy set variations are by far the most popular methods in the referred applications. However, besides them other 51 MCDM or other mathematical techniques are employed in many different combinations and approaches, bringing a very interesting diversity to the study that is very useful for it to be used as a base for comparison among methods. A total number of 111 journals and authors and co-authors of 41 nationalities are involved in the publications between 2012 and 2018, with more than half of papers coming from either India, Turkey or Iran. Many other results are obtained, bringing the readers different perspectives on the subject. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge with a great and insightful overview on MCDM methods application in aiding in challenges part of a business environment, so that companies can better manage their resources and be more prosperous. It is a vast database that allows many comparisons and evaluations, offering more analysis than the standard literature review articles.O presente trabalho tem como objetivo auxiliar os tomadores de decisão, pesquisadores e profissionais, ao desenvolver uma revisão bibliográfica adequada como base para comparação entre os métodos de decisão multicritério na gestão de recursos finitos de acordo com cada uma das áreas mais importantes de um ambiente de negócios. A tomada eficiente de decisões de gestão de recursos nas empresas afeta sua capacidade de criação de valor e, portanto, sua competitividade e sucesso finais. A metodologia da investigação baseou-se na metodologia PRISMA, para a correta filtração das publicações de acordo com o conjunto de critérios estabelecidos, em alinhamento com o objetivo da tese. Os artigos incluídos no estudo são aqueles que apresentam métodos de decisão com critérios múltiplos em suas formas puras, em combinação uns com os outros ao formar híbridos, ou com outras técnicas matemáticas para resolver problemas em cinco áreas principais das empresas. As cinco áreas são: (1) Gestão da Cadeia de Suprimentos e Logística; (2) Gestão Ambiental; (3) Gestão de Negócios e Marketing; (4) Sistemas de Projeto, Engenharia e Manufatura; e (5) Gestão de Recursos Humanos. Os 204 artigos finais são apresentados de acordo com as áreas de aplicação correspondentes, ordenadas por número de citações, que são usadas como uma medida de sua relevância na comunidade científica. Eles são, ainda, classificados por autor, nacionalidade, revista, ano, tipo de pesquisa e métodos utilizados. Todos os dados coletados são utilizados para análise estatística quantitativa, com a qual é possível recolher informações mais aprofundadas sobre a pesquisa bibliográfica. São realizados comentários sobre os principais métodos e as maneiras que foram apresentados ao longo do estudo de todos os artigos durante a pesquisa. As abordagens AHP e TOPSIS, com suas variações em conjuntos difusos ou fuzzy, são de longe os métodos mais populares nas aplicações referidas. No entanto, além destes, outros 51 MCDM e outras técnicas são utilizadas em muitas combinações e abordagens, trazendo uma diversidade muito interessante para o estudo, servindo de base para comparação dos métodos. Um total de 111 revistas e autores e coautores de 41 nacionalidades estão envolvidos nas publicações entre 2012 e 2018, com mais de metade dos artigos provenientes da Índia, Turquia ou Irão. Estes e outros resultados levam aos leitores diferentes perspectivas sobre o assunto. Este documento contribui para o estado da arte, com um conhecimento geral excelente e perspicaz sobre a aplicação de métodos MCDM para ajudar nos desafios de um ambiente de negócios, para que as empresas possam melhor gerenciar seus recursos e serem mais prósperas. É um vasto banco de dados que permite muitas comparações e avaliações, oferecendo mais análises do que os artigos de revisão de literatura padrão