Product lifecycle management

The objective of this research was to increase the effectiveness of product lifecycle management. The scientific problem was to develop a theoretical basis for an intellectualized product management methodology. The following results were obtained. • A method of decision making was suggested based on situational parameters. This system allows factoring in a fuzzy or incomplete knowledge of the situation and subjective preferences of the decision maker. • The method developed was based on a suggested set of fuzzy variable types that described a situation. • A complex of equations for transformation and quality evaluations was developed, as well as adaptation mechanisms to comply with the decision maker’s preferences. The theoretical importance of the research includes the following: • developing a methodology for creating an expert decision support system for product lifecycle management that helps formalize the representation of management processes; • suggesting an enhanced system of models and methods that covers all typical product lifecycle management tasks and complements the instrumentality of the situation analysis and the development of optimal solutions; • suggesting principles for the interactive transformation of fuzzy and incomplete knowledge about problematic situations; these are based on fuzzy data processing and self-adaptation to real applications that develop methods and facilities for knowledge accumulation. The practical importance of the research can be summarized as follows: • the development of a fuzzy matrix, an expert decision support system for product lifecycle management that increases solution feasibility and effectiveness; • the provision of practical recommendations for implementing such systems in small industrial enterprises.