The path to engineering efficiency

[Henk-Jan Scholman]

Moving from old fashioned 'drawing' the engineering solution to, say, model-based-engineering is quite a journey.

What would be a good roadmap? Any thoughts and comments on this?

drawing => data-engineering => model-based-engineering => knowledge-based-engineering ? (=> artificial engineering)

Where:

• drawing: input is a functional or technical specification. Output is a drawing with sufficient information to build the solution. The process in between is dependant on the skills of the engineer: traditional craftsmanship. For a large part collecting and interpreting information and translate this to a technical solution represented by a drawing.

• data-engineering: input is a technical specification with all data known at that point in time. Output is a drawing with sufficient information to build the solution. The process in between focusses on 'enriching' the data to a level that is sufficient to generate the output. Think of excel: in fact a 'flat' data base.

• model-based-engineering: input is a technical specification with all data known at that point in time. Output is a drawing with sufficient information to build the solution. The process in between focusses on structuring and enriching of that data to a level that is sufficient to generate the output. Structured data helps to detect repeating patterns that can be re-used. A database offers the possibility to build to complex structure that make up a product. Think IEC81346.

• knowledge-based-engineering: input is a functional specification. Output is a drawing with sufficient information to build the solution. The process in between is based on an automated set of engineering rules and a product structure that defines and limits the number of possible solutions. Think of a configurator that not only produces a specification (like a Volkswagen car configurator) but a detailed engineering solution.

Next thing to think about: how to get from one 'phase' to the next?

[Henk-Jan Scholman]

From http://modelbasedengineering.com/faq/#W ... ngineering