Developing a transition matrix to consider concurrent iterations among coupled design activities

In this paper, a transition matrix is developed in order to estimate duration of concurrent iterations among coupled design activities. Since, this type of iteration cannot be modeled by the basic transition matrix in a Markov Chain(MC). To do this, A Design Structure Matrix (DSM) is utilized and developed. DSM is a tool for illustrating different types of relationship among design activities. The proposed model enhanced Design Structure Matrix as a random variable to be used in a transition matrix of the MC. The DSM enables MC to include simultaneous transitions by extending the dimension of states in a transition matrix including concurrent transitions. In addition, it contributes designers to estimate required time for completing design activities through calculating iterations. At the end, the proposed model is applied in a case study with concurrent information transfer among coupled design activities. Demonstrates the way to estimate the numbers of iterations.