On the way to knowledge awareness in early design

This work is part of a study where a descriptive and a prescriptive approach have been used. This paper deals with the descriptive part and discusses views on decision support in product development to identify factors of relevance to con-sider when designing computer-based decision support for total offers. Providing services in form of physical artefacts offered as ‘functions per unit’ is at the heart of total offers. The intention is to provide customers with functions in time and place ‘as-needed’, based on a life-cycle commitment. This new scenario is found in manufacturing industry in addition to a traditional view on selling hardware and providing aftermarket activities. Total offers gain access to possibilities to ‘design in’ value added characteristics into the physical artefact, e.g., maintenance, moni-toring, training and abilities to upgrade and/or remanufacture. Computer tools is commonly used to supply design teams with information which is relevant, correct and in time to support resolutions, yet to support a GO/NO GO decision for total offers contemporary tools seems to be insufficient. Relevant factors to take into consideration are to support learning and provide the decision makers with insights in a number of plausible ‘what-if’ scenarios to im-prove the solution space.Godkänd; 2007; 20061127 (tobias)Fastelaboratoriet – VINNEXC, ProViking - Development of Functional Products in a Distributed Virtual Environmen