The Complementary Roles of IDEF0 and DSM for the Modelling of Information Management Processes

The paper compares the IDEF0 [1], (sometimes referred to as SADT) and DSM (Design Structure Matrix) [2, 3] modelling techniques. They both serve the purpose of modelling information flows. The aim of the paper is to identify positive and negative aspects of the different modelling techniques, thereby suggesting what kind of problems the different techniques are best suited for and how the techniques complement each other. As an example, both techniques are used to model the configuration management process at FFV Aerotech. It can be argued that IDEF0 focuses on the formal communication of specified information. DSM, on the other hand, focuses on informal communication. The techniques support each other. Depending on the objectives with the modelling work, both techniques can be used. Useful insights can be reached with little additional work by using both techniques.