A Knowledge-based Assistant for Real-time Planning and Execution of PSS Engineering Change Processes

Michael Abramovici, Youssef Aidi
2015 Procedia CIRP  
The emerging offerings referred to as Product-Service-Systems (PSS) require high adaptability of products to permanently changing customer requirements and operation conditions to ensure the contractually guaranteed performance. Thus the product lifecycle is characterized by several engineering changes (EC) made throughout, especially within the operation phase. Those changes have different triggers so that each change process is unique. EC process managers who are responsible for planning and
more » ... xecution of EC must take into account the particularities of each EC related to its permanently changing boundary conditions. Especially the heterogeneity and dynamic of PSS requires a prompt reaction to unforeseeable events and consequently adaptation of the EC process in real-time. Traditional Engineering Change processing approaches provide pre-defined engineering change processes, which a priori define the required workflows and cannot by adapted in real-time. The required adaptability of EC processes requires a distinction between what must be achieved representing the process goals of an EC. And the way how those goals should be achieved depending on the boundary condition of the EC process which represents the process activities. Hence, the paper in hand presents a knowledge-based assistant that supports EC process managers by planning, and execution of such goaloriented adaptive EC processes. The assistant provides a graphical tool that supports the one hand the modeling and knowledge-based planning of goal-oriented EC process and their real-time execution. On the other hand, it provides an intuitive and knowledge-based information environment based on the analysis of a developed EC ontology that contains the different elements involved within the EC process and their complex and dynamic relationships.
doi:10.1016/j.procir.2015.03.026 fatcat:yepe55pfrjapvfvf4yazggmfm4