Adapting a decision making synchronous/asynchronous environment to a distributed hypermedia concurrent engineering system

The paper discusses an ongoing adaptation of a decision making synchronous/asynchronous common environment for computer supported cooperative work (SACE-CSCW) for a distributed videoconferencing multimedia/hypermedia concurrent engineering (CE) system to run over the Web. The SACE environment is being redesigned to incorporate this application area and its actual models are being extended to support the CE design rationale which reduces the lead time and development costs, improving the quality of new or modified products. The improvements being devised with the integration of hypermedia in the new conceptual and physical models, will lead to a shared knowledge system of product design, engineering, manufacturing, rationale and all levels of business decision making.