ABSTRACT:The pattern of information flow through the network of interdependent design activities is thought to be an important determinant of engineering design process results. A previously unexplored aspect of such patterns relates to the temporal dynamics of information transfer between activities as those activities are implemented through the network of people executing the project. To address this gap, we develop a dynamic modelling method that integrates both the network of people and the network of activities in the project. We then employ a large dataset collected from an industrial setting, consisting of project-related e-mails and activity records from the design and development of a renewable energy plant over the course of more than three years. Using network metrics for centrality and clustering, we make three important contributions: 1. We demonstrate a novel method for analysing information flows between activities in complex engineering design projects. 2. We show how the network of information flows in a large-scale engineering project evolved over time and how network analysis yields several managerial insights. 3. We provide a useful new representation of the engineering design process and thus support theory-building towards the evolution of information flows through systems engineering stages. Implications include guidance on how to analyse and predict information flows as well as better planning of information flows in engineering design projects according to their individual stage and activity characteristics. This is the author's version of an article that has been published in this journal. Changes were made to this version by the publisher prior to publication.The final version of record is available at http://dx

Abstract-The engineering design literature has provided guidance on how to identify and analyse design activities and their information dependencies. However, a systematic characterisation of process interfaces between engineering design activities is missing, and the impact of structural and compositional aspects of interfaces on process performance is unclear. To fill these gaps, we propose a new approach that characterises process interfaces as organisation networks consisting of people and their interactions when performing interfacing activities. Furthermore, we provide guidance on how to test and interpret the effect of those characteristics on interface problems. As a result, we show how structural and compositional aspects of the organisation networks between information-dependent activities provide valuable insights to better manage complex engineering design processes. The proposed approach is applied to the development of a power plant, analysing 79 process interfaces. The study reveals a relationship between the structure and composition of the process interfaces and reported interface problems. Implications of this approach include the integration of information about process and organisation architectures, the systematic identification of key performance metrics associated with interface problems, and improved support for engineering managers by means of a better overview of information flows between activities.

The development of uncertainty over the progression of a project (i.e. dynamism) is a central issue in engineering management; however, it has been little explored. This paper answers the question of how uncertainty develops over the course of complex engineering. We present a case of a renewable energy power plant where we performed content analysis on over 54,000 e-mails. The findings reveal a new mechanism affecting uncertainty development. We call this mechanism 'uncertainty masking' and define it as: the process through which a 'root uncertainty' is misidentified by the project team, resulting in the creation and management of a 'symptomatic uncertainty'. Root and symptomatic uncertainty types compound over time and hamper uncertainty resolution, leading to growth in level of uncertainty during later project stages. We describe the impact of uncertainty masking on the u-shape level of uncertainty in the case project. This research contributes to the engineering-management literature by explaining observations of uncertainty growth, which existing theory is unable to explain. We thus significantly advance uncertainty theory in engineering management. Managerial relevance statementThis research identifies a core challenge for engineering managers, particularly in complex engineering. Managers need to be able to correctly identify the uncertainty types their engineering project face. Specifically in complex engineering, this may be a significant challenge as shown by this research. For example, technical uncertainty may be misidentified by the project team because it creates challenges for supplier management or internal organisation. However, identifying uncertainty types correctly reduces the potential adverse effects of uncertainty in the later project stages, where the project team can deliver and integrating engineering outputs instead of re-designing and re-developing technical parts.

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