In-production changes must be validated prior to implementation requiring robust planning. A seven-step verification, validation, and testing method is used to identify assembly variants that should be included in testing. The method is applied to a change request causing propagation effects from variants in an automotive manufacturer. In evaluations of the method, engineers used the method successfully to identify variant propagation pathways, reducing the time and cost requirements that typically result from engineering changes. Based on the feedback from this evaluation of the verification, validation, and testing method regarding intensive laborious documentation, a semi-automated support tool is developed in Excel and presented in this research article.

In recent years, there has been a significant push towards “Design for X” (DFX) in modern engineering design practice. One such category that has received a large amount of attention is design for manufacturing. When conducting design for manufacturing, a common tool to assist in the design process is design for a series of design for manufacturing guidelines. While the use of these guidelines, as well as other DFX guidelines, has been shown to be effective, little research has been done with the intent to standardize the guidelines or make them more readily available. In this paper, the authors propose a Design for Manufacturing database tool to assist in the instruction of design for manufacturing guidelines. The development of the database model is discussed, as well as the interface that is used to interact with the database. The tool is then evaluated and conclusions are made with regards to the effectiveness of the database and any future work to increase the functionality. One major addition that is discussed is the adaptation of the database for use in industry, and not just in education, to assist in the engineering design process.

The purpose of this research is to conduct a user study in order to determine the effect of numerous variables for data representation on the ability to answer questions about the system being represented. This research will be used in the development of a computer-based visualization tool to support configuration change management. The researchers hypothesized that the graph geometry and order of the questions being asked would not affect the results, while the color of the graph and the information being represented would affect the number of correct responses. The results showed an increase in the response accuracy for the answerable questions when the amount of information displayed in the data representation was minimized. On the other hand, none of the other factors showed to have a significant effect on the accuracy of the responses. The most significant limitation in this study was the possibility for different users putting different levels of effort into answering the questions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a three-staged approach to configuration change management that uses a combination of complexity analysis, data visualization, and algorithmic validation to assist in validating configuration changes. Design/methodology/approach In order to accomplish the above purpose, the authors conducted a review of existing configuration management practices. This was followed by an in-depth case study of the configuration management practices of a major automotive OEM. The primary means of data collection for the case study were interviews, ethnographic study, and document analysis. Based on the results of the case study, a set of support tools is proposed to assist in the configuration management process. Findings Through the case study, the authors identified that the OEM used a configuration management method that largely represented the rule-based reasoning methods identified in the literature review. In addition, many of the associated challenges are present, primarily, the difficulty in making changes to the rule system and evaluating the changes. Research limitations/implications The primary limitation is that the case study was based on a single OEM. However, the results are in line with other practices identified in the literature review. Therefore, it is expected that the findings and recommendations should hold true in other applications. Practical implications A set of configuration management tools and associated requirements are identified and defined that could be used to assist companies in the automotive industry, and perhaps others, in managing their option changes as they continue to move towards full mass customization of products. Originality/value The proposed approach for configuration management has not been seen in any other organization. The value of this paper is in the effectiveness of the proposed approach in assisting in the configuration change management process.

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