Measurement of Product Architecture: A Case of the Bicycle Industry

We argue how to measure product architecture by applying the measurement framework proposed by Fixson (2005，2008) to assess the architecture of bicycles. Our results reveal that (1) function＝component allocation indicates integral architecture，(2) interfaces are highly standardized, and (3) integrating these results, bicycle architecture is modular. We also found that while Fixson's framework (2005，2008) is helpful and useful, analysis of the interdependency between components is lacking. Based on our research, we suggest that function should equal component allocation (referred to as function＝component allocation) to determine product architecture, and, more importantly, component interactions should be described to illustrate the entire product architecture