Concurrent Engineering

Revision as of 10:44, 11 February 2023

Abstract

The implementation of concurrent engineering in a project management framework will be explained holistically in this article. By focusing on the people participating in the project, the process itself, and the technology required to achieve the goal, the article will focus on the main parts of how to make the concurrent engineering approach successful. These provide an explanation of how to successfully use concurrent engineering by addressing topics like the value of knowledge sharing, the necessity of interdisciplinary teams, and effective project planning. Finally, the approach's advantages and disadvantages are discussed. They are paired with the preceding sequential engineering approach to address the situations in which one approach is better to apply than the other.

Big idea

Context

Concurrent engineering (CE) emerged in the 1980s as a result of the need for a more integrated method of operation to keep up with growing competition in the market, respond to a shorter product life-cycle, and meet shifting market and customer demands (Trygg, L. 1993). Concurrent engineering was thought to be a potential answer to the issues faced by businesses at the time, in order to help them create cheaper goods that could be supplied faster and have higher functionality (Clark, K.B. & Fujimoto, T., 1991). Concurrent engineering functioned as a direct response and opposite to the previous traditional "over the wall", sequential engineering (SE) approach, with the overall goals of higher productivity and lower costs by shorter development time and shorter time-to-market.

“Concurrent Engineering is a systematic approach to the integrated, concurrent design of products and their related processes, including manufacturing and support. This approach is intended to cause the developers from the outset to consider all elements of the product life cycle from conception to disposal, including quality, cost, schedule, and user requirements.” - Winner, R.J et al. (1988)

What is CE?

Concurrent engineering (CE) is neither a technique nor a tool. It is a manner of thinking that, in the context of project management, calls for a wide range of techniques and methods. The execution of a project's processes simultaneously with the participation of both upstream and downstream functions over the course of the project's life-cycle is the very essence of concurrent engineering. CE is largely a socio-technical concept because of the concurrent nature of the approach (Stjepandić J., et al., 2015). It necessitates intensive communication and cooperation among the project's various phases and specialties. Therefore, the primary requirements for a successful concurrent engineering project are also related to this element, since effective stakeholder communication, their willingness and ability to collaborate, and the support of tools and communication technologies are crucial components to support and sustain a CE project management strategy.

Application

Requirements for the success of CE

People: multidisciplinary teams, knowledge sharing, multitasking

Process: project planning, milestones

Technology: tools, techniques, technologies to use in the project to support CE - depends on organization size

Implementation approach

When is it applicable?

How to implement? When to implement?

Benefits & Limitations

Benefits:

Shorter time-to-market - compared to SE

Possible to make changes/alterations early on - focus on solving the issues in their early stages/as they appear in the beginning, so they will not have such a high impact later on

minimized risks of loss (time and knowledge between departments/tasks)

Limitations:

Need for close collaborations between departments

Maybe do a table to compare CE and SE? Benefits and limitations

Concurrent vs. sequential engineering When to choose one or the other?

CE: no need for a defined output in the beginning - SE: need for at defined goal/output

Bibliography

Concurrent Engineering in the 21st Century: Foundations, Developments and Challenges

The newest advancements and industry-best practices for the guiding principles of the framework are covered in-depth in this book's presentation of concurrent engineering. It delves deeply into CE procedures and practices, as well as practical applications and experiences. The book offers a thorough overview of CE from many different viewpoints and industries since it is a compilation of research by numerous professors and scholars.

References

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Ebrahimi M., S. (2011). Concurrent Engineering Approaches within Product Development Processes for Managing Production Start-up phase (Dissertation), pp. 45-86. Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping.

Gerwin, D. et al. (2006). “Implementing Concurrent Engineering” in Research-Technology Management, 49(1), pp. 38-43. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2006.11657357

Pawar, K. et al. (1996). “Concurrent Engineering: From Concept to Implementation”, at International Conference on Agile Manufacturing, at Bangalore, India, 22.-24. Feb. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268427376_Concurrent_Engineering_From_Concept_to_Implementation

Rolstadås, A. (1995). “Planning and control of Concurrent Engineering projects”, in International Journal of Production Economics, vol. 38, pp. 3-13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/0925-5273(95)99061-9

Smith, P.G. (1998) “Concurrent Engineering Teams,” in D.I. Cleland (ed.) Field Guide to Project Management. John Wiley & Sons, pp. 439–450, chapter 32.

Stjepandić J., et al. (eds) (2015) Concurrent engineering in the 21st Century: foundations, developments and challenges. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.

Swink, M.L. (1998). “A tutorial on implementing concurrent engineering in new product development programs,” in Journal of Operations Management, 16(1), pp. 103-116. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-6963(97)00018-1.

Trygg, L. (1993). “Concurrent Engineering practices in selected Swedish companies: a movement or an activity of the few?” in Journal of Product Innovation Management, 10(5), pp. 403–415. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/0737-6782(93)90098-B

Winner, R.J. et al. (1988). The role of concurrent engineering in weapons system acquisition. IDA R-338. USA: Institute for Defense Analyses.