Design Structure Matrices (DSMs) and Domain Mapping Matrices (DMMs) are generally used by designers for dynamic optimization of engineering design processes and products. Both methodologies help producing valuable results; however, they are lacking a holistic view onto the processes and products. Dependencies that span multiple product development domains can therefore not be recognized with isolated DSM or DMM analysis. In this paper, we present an integrative approach that combines DSMs and DMMs to obtain the Multiple Design Structure Matrix (MDSM). This methodology offers the possibility to analyze multiple product development domains using one coherent matrix representation form. A holistic perspective helps the designer to identify domain-spanning structures that would not have been recognized with single-domain optimization approaches or isolated analysis of the DSMs and DMMs. Domain-spanning structures are important to identify, as they may cause unpredictable product or process behavior. Our research showed that a holistic perspective can help designers to identify important elements more easily and therefore save time and enhance quality in analysis of engineering systems design. The framework we present consists of a proposal for the selection of appropriate product development domains, their integration, and the derivation of analysis results.

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Abstract. Systems engineering can be regarded as a part of system theory, which seems to be most up to date in sociology trying to understand complex social systems. This contribution gives an overview on the development and appearances of system theory, compares systems engineering and the modern sociological system theory and shows how to improve the design and development of technical systems by the use of those sociological insights. This regard covers a new understanding of complexity, of systems themselves, of communication being any coordination of activities, as well as respective media. The considerations finally lead to a dynamic organisation as well as to measures how to approach complex social systems.

Kurzfassung Der schnelle technische Fortschritt, hoher Konkurrenzdruck und dynamisch veränderliche Anforderungen der Kunden charakterisieren das Umfeld produzierender Unternehmen. Der Aspekt der Kundengewinnung und -bindung tritt in den Vordergrund. Um Wettbewerbsvorteile zu erlangen, müssen Unternehmen Leistungen bieten, die exakt auf die Bedürfnisse der Kunden zugeschnitten sind. Mit einem Paradigmenwechsel in Service, Entwicklung und Produktion wird es künftig möglich sein, kundenindividuelle Produkte in exzellenter Qualität zu konkurrenzfähigen Preisen in kurzer Lieferzeit anzubieten.

Design Structure Matrices (DSMs) are a widely spread and useful tool for structuring and analysing design processes and related aspects such as products themselves, organisations, etc. Though this tool is simple, yet quite powerful, problems might arise in using them due to the subjectivity of the set up model within the DSM, as it is with every model building exercise. This contribution looks at the individual differences in filling out a DSM, the reasons for those differences, as well as means to overcome them. This covers a clear procedure for using DSMs, extended tools using and supporting DSMs, and a better understanding of this matrix approach. The latter covers different issues and “linkage types” that can be addressed by a DSM and its use in a system theory context. It also emphasises that DSMs are just one method using a matrix approach, which is only one representation of a graph or a network, with other methods using similar approaches and covering other useful aspects. A simple, yet important contribution of our research is the appropriate direction of DSMs, i.e. the dependencies going from rows to columns or vice versa, since this is an often discussed subject concerning DSMs.