A unified framework for capturing concept development methods

Concept development in engineering is a challenging exercise whose execution varies greatly with the context of the problem being solved. Engineers have a plethora of non-domain specific methods available to aid different aspects of concept development and problem solving. As engineering has evolved, design processes, which are assemblies of some of these different methods, have been used to identify how methods relate and can be used to define and solve a larger problem. Yet, because methods are constantly being updated and added by the research community, design processes may not incorporate the latest methods. Furthermore, processes are generally tied to the notion of development in phases, which may not be the appropriate discriminators for determining a method's applicability. This paper presents a framework that uses the fundamental activities of problem solving and the type of solution sought as discriminators for concept development methods. This framework provides a complete description of concept development that is not tied to development phases, but instead to the fundamental functions that must be carried out in any development iteration. Furthermore, it allows for the creation of a catalog of methods indexed to the framework discriminators. By following the framework and searching through the method catalog, a user can build his or her own process utilizing the methods most applicable to the problem being solved. The creation of the framework and a method catalog allows for a universal descriptive language that method developers can use when comparing new methods to those currently used in practice. This language can be used by researchers to identify where gaps exist and where resources should be spent to develop new methods. Finally, the creation of a universal method catalog will ensure that engineers have complete, unambiguous descriptions of the latest methods available within the context of concept development.