A comprehensive approach to complex system product development : operations management tools applied to automotive design

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-135).The research is based on observations made over a two-year period with the Closures Systems Integrators or CSIs (supervisory engineers who coordinate attribute balance and system decisions for conflicting door attributes) at a North American automobile manufacturer, focusing on organizational and technical improvements in product development. The product development (PD) process for vehicle side doors forms the case study. A Design Structure Matrix model was made of the process by which important closures attributes are managed through PD, Stamping, Manufacturing and Plant Teams. The attribute delivery process is very tightly coupled with many interactions and conflicts between the attributes, and careful system integration and interface management are essential. The study highlights the need for standardized designs and processes to create time for these system-level tasks, along with better knowledge and resource management. Critical inputs for system attributes are identified and it is shown that a lot of rework occurs if these inputs are changed. The Datum Flow Chain method is developed as a way to communicate data, help with assembly decisions and manage interfaces between component owners.(cont.) An investigation of issues experienced at product launch shows that programs with CSIs have fewer design- related problems during launch, but that CSIs still spend too much time on Design and Release-type tasks for components (instead of a system focus) and fire-fighting. An extensive organizational study reveals the need for more leverage and clearer roles and responsibilities of CSIs. Conclusions on the process are supported by a simulation model and interviews with CSIs and many other engineers. Simulation results also show that adherence to official product development schedules timing is inherently difficult due to the structure of the as-is PD process. A brief comparison to Toyota's closures design process is also part of the thesis but was not part of the project itself. Recommendations for improvement include a set of design tasks that should be standardized, types of analytical tools that should be developed and managerial practices to be followed.by M. Jehanzeb Noor.S.M

The New Normal: Families, Caretakers, and Adults with Autism

Over the last several decades, the clinical prevalence of autism has increased considerably, as has the amount of popular and scientific attention directed towards the condition. However, discussions of autism tend to focus on children and finding a cause and a cure, while the growing numbers of adults diagnosed with autism have received relatively little attention. This dissertation begins with the argument that popular representations of autism are shaped by the idealism of modern medicine, and its overriding search to discover etiologies and treatments for all forms of biological difference that fall within its purview. And yet, for those responsible for adults with autism, management, care, and support are more relevant concerns to everyday experience than are cause and cure. In order to describe and analyze this everyday experience, this dissertation features a three-year ethnographic study of thirteen families with adult members with severe forms of autism. After reviewing pertinent historical and demographic information, the body of the manuscript explores: 1) the process by which caretakers negotiate between different definitions of problem behavior in the face of persistent situational complexity and ambiguity; 2) the contextual dynamics that make it possible for caretakers to perceive as innocent and/or humorous behaviors that are often viewed as atypical by others; and 3) the ways in which the experience of continued atypicality and dependency comes into conflict with popular representations of autism while at the same time highlighting the reality of the ever-looming future and the care and support required after primary caretakers are gone. At the end of the dissertation, I return to the argument that modern medical idealism discourages popular recognition that, in the case of autism, continued atypicality and dependency constitute the condition\u27s usual prognosis. I conclude with a short consideration of how the themes explored in this thesis resonate with the experiences of those living with or alongside other forms of biological difference (e.g. disability, mental illness, Alzehemier\u27s) that are currently incurable