Formal Interaction Analysis – A Methodology and Software Tool for the Design and Assessment of Information and Communication Structures for Concurrent Engineering

Since the availability of information is a prerequisite for efficient Concurrent Engineering (CE), information and communication structures have to be designed carefully. However, current practice is often based on a trialand-error approach resulting in inefficient communication. Existing methods especially concentrate on which information has to be delivered to whom in terms of output-input relationships. The here presented methodology extends the existing approaches by designing also the communication patterns and selecting the communication means with which the information is communicated. The FIA methodology (Formal Interaction Analysis) provides a systematic approach and decision support for finding the best solution for a specific communication scenario. The paper outlines typical communication problems in product development and explains the basic thinking of FIA. The methodology and its sub steps are described and the supporting software tool is presented. The paper concludes by showing successful applications of FIA in different CE environments.