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The task of creating the operating procedures for a processing plant is time consuming and requires the involvement of key members of the design team. As one of the consequences, the writing of operating procedures is often put off till the final stages of the design process. However, some operability problems will remain hidden in the design until the operating procedure is considered. These problems are expensive to fix because they require undoing some of the design decisions that have already been made. This thesis reports on research into the automatic creation of operating procedures, a field of research sometimes called Operating Procedure Synthesis (OPS). One motivation for OPS research is to develop a tool that can detect operability problems in the design of a plant and thus allow operability problems to be considered earlier in the design process reducing the cost of resolving these problems. Previous OPS systems are generally based around single techniques such as mixed integer linear programming. All the techniques that have been examined in the past are strong in some aspects of OPS and weak in some other aspects. There is no single technique that is strong in all areas of OPS. As a result, no previous OPS system is able to generate all the procedures used as examples in the OPS literature. This thesis presents a new approach to OPS. In this approach, OPS is viewed as a set of distinct but related subtasks. Three subtasks have been identified and examined in this work, namely planning, safety and valve sequencing. Algorithms have been developed to address each of these three subtasks individually. These algorithms have been integrated to form a single OPS system by using a common representation of the operating procedure to be created.

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This thesis aims at developing a better understanding of the design process and the tools required to support it. Specifically it focuses on the early or conceptual stages of the industrial design process and the role of emerging technology based artifacts in supporting this activity. The starting point for this thesis is that industrial design focuses on discovery of new knowledge and that this process of discovery is reflective in nature. Further designers make use of artifacts throughout the design process to support them in this discovery and their reflection. To reveal the role of artifacts in this process, a study of the interaction between designers and their artifacts has been undertaken. To intensify these relationships this thesis has focused on design review activity undertaken in the early stages of industrial design process. Two ethnographic case studies were conducted which allowed for teams of final year industrial design students to be observed during a conceptual design review. The first case study focused on the student designers interacting with traditional artifacts such as sketches, form studies and illustrations as part of the design review session. In the second case study, the student designers made use of low fidelity digital models which were displayed in a highly immersive virtual reality environment to support the design review. Both case studies captured a time slice of a larger design project which the students were undertaking as part of their university studies. The design project focused on the redesign of a consumer product where the students were required to innovate on an existing design based on a number of technology and market constraints. The design review session which formed the basis of the case study was part of a weekly design critique which required the students to bring to the class all of their design development progress. Students were offered an additional review session which was held in a virtual reality facility to supplement their weekly design review session which formed the basis of the second case study. The objective of the review sessions were for the designers to discuss their progress, identify where they were having difficulty, be challenged on design decision and develop a shared understanding of their direction with the class. The case study approach has allowed for an authentic in situ account of how designers make use of artifacts within the early stages of an industrial design process. It has allowed for a comparison between traditional and technology based artifacts and has revealed how they impact on the nature of discovery and reflection. Through a detailed qualitative analysis of the video data which was captured from the case studies, this thesis makes a number of substantial contributions to the current knowledge gaps on the role of artifacts and to our understanding of this phase of design activity. It substantiates conceptual design activity as a reflective process allowing for new discoveries to be made by representing our existing knowledge and understandings in artifacts which can be reflected upon and extended to create new meaning and innovation. From this grounded perspective it has enabled further understandings into the role of the artifact in supporting the design activity. Artifacts are seen as critical in supporting early stage design activity. However it is the nature of the interaction between the designers and their artifacts within the different settings which have been revealed through this research which is of significance. The affordances of the different artifacts have been shown to alter how the students situate their activity and modify their actions within a design review. page 5 of 171 Further designers are required to make use of additional resources such as gestures and rich design language to supplement their design engagement; and they are required to adapt to the environment where the review is being undertaken to ensure that the objective of the design review can be achieved. This thesis makes its primary contribution in outlining the differences between the various types of artifacts and how they can be used to positively support early stage design activity. It is recommended that both traditional and virtual artifacts have a role in supporting activity, but future approaches should consider them as complimentary and consider ways in which they can be merged. The significance of the research is three fold. Firstly, from a pedagogical perspective, within an educational or practiced based setting, it provides a framework to consider the use of emerging technology based artifacts to support early stage design activity. Secondly, from a technology development perspective the grounded observation in authentic experience of design activity, it provides the foundation to inspire and develop new interfaces to support designer interactions with artifacts. Finally, it makes a substantial contribution to the growing body of design research substantiating and revealing new understanding between designers and their artifacts to support early stage design activity.

Construction projects experience design changes and much time and effort is put into trying to address fluctuations in client and project requirements; however, in many cases, insufficient value is delivered to the client. The successful use of Lean Management in the construction stage has opened up the possibility of using it in the design stage – thus helping to establish a systematic approach to managing construction projects and business. Attention is turning towards Lean Design Management to address deficiencies in the design phases that many would argue should have been dealt with in the early project delivery stages. Aspects of ineffective briefing process practice have been shown to have negative consequences and implications for the efficient performance of design management. The client is asked to provide requirements without ensuring that they have established sufficient knowledge of the project to do so. These requirements, most likely, will change then over time, because in most cases the initial decision was not made based on sufficient project knowledge or a well-established vision. The client needs to be made smarter and to learn about the building early on in the project, long before the architect sketches the concept design.

This study examined the process of design for general classroom facilities in American four-year public higher education institutions. Combining grounded theory, case study methods, visual methods, and portions of the Authentic, Action-Oriented, Framing for Environmental Shifts Method (Watt, 2015), I was able to address the four research questions posed in this study. I conducted interviews with participants involved in specific general classroom facilities design/construction while asking participants to co-create a diagram of the steps of the process. The data collected from this process produced the Train Model of Design for General Classroom Facilities. The process begins with the specifics of the institution or college and its chosen direction. The conditions specific to the institution act as a departing station for the process. The conditions specific to the wider context function as the rails on which the train moves. The rails are held together by crossties consisting of the constant collaboration of the triumvirate and stakeholders. A triumvirate consisting of the project manager, the construction manager, and the representative from the academic department move the project through each phase of the design process. These decision-makers functions as the conductor of the train, driving the process while feeding it two distinct types of fuel: budget and time. The triumvirate must continuously monitor the fuel supply to reach the end of the process. In addition, the triumvirate continuously monitors the passengers, to incorporate their feedback into the trip. The stages of the process function similarly to boarding and disembarking on a train. In Stage 1 you prepare to leave the station. You make a case for what travels on the train with you and what gets left at home. You also determine the fuel needs of the train by setting the project budget and schedule. Stage 2, or Making the Space, consists of the travel to the final destination, carrying along those well-laid plans from Stage 1. The triumvirate drives the train while carefully monitoring the fuel levels. You can make a few minor adjustments once you have left the stations, based on feedback from the passengers, but drastically altering the plans is not a viable option. The type of train you drive represents the different ways in which the process can play out at specific campuses. A passenger train works differently compared to a freight train. The number and sequence of steps in the process of design will vary depending on the type of project you are undertaking (new construction vs. renovation), the available state procedures, and the timing of your procurement of a construction management firm (i.e. the different types of trains you can take). The final destination of the train is the completed general classroom facility. / Ph. D.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:18:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabel Orestes Silveira.pdf: 4306874 bytes, checksum: a5bc1106698d762fba25eb10d70a6828 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-03 / This thesis aims at scrutinizing the creative process of the Brazilian graphic design. The perspective from which it will be done comprises three cases, with the different and the common creative procedures being underlined in the text, based on the interviews made with some different designers. In these cases, a paradox between economy and culture can be seen, showcasing the creation of the abovementioned professionals and, at the same time, highlighting the limits that submit the creation to the market rules. The intention here is to describe the non-linearity of thought, which experiences diverse temporality when making projects. Thus, considering the variables that relate time to the creative process, how can we comprehend the procedures and acts of the graphic designers within this sort of temporality? The hypothesis suggests two directions: first of all, this research examines the relationship between design and culture from the perspective of Pinheiro (2007) and Lotman (1898; 1996), understanding the designer as a translator of visual signs. Secondly, it must not fall into oblivion that there is a multitude of times , internalizing the conscious, which impel the designers to make projects in the context of the creative process. A retrospective study of the past was done based on Braudel (1987), who is a historiographer specialized in the permanence in the long time . This research revolves around the idea that, independently of the object taken as the center of an investigation, it is more what happens during the creative process that defines the complexity as a principle of work (MORIN, 2006). The time leads the variables of the process to the dimension of an open model, which simply does not reject the doubt. This instability and, to some extent, this chaos follow the ideas of Eco (2005) and Prigogine (1996), both of whom discuss the principles of uncertainty and self-organization, which prevent the unstable systems from keeping themselves on the way of the entropy. Then, it is necessary to reach a probabilistic description of the object of this study in the light of General System Theory (GST) and Vieira (2008). These possibilities convey an universe where everything is stream and changing. The fundamentals of the creative process based on semiotics have in Salles (2006) the trinity that follows: the complexity of the systems, the temporality of the creative process and the representation of the graphic designers / Esta tese tem por objetivo a investigação do processo de criação no design gráfico brasileiro. O recorte proposto abrange três casos específicos, embora os procedimentos distintos e comuns em criação destaquem-se no corpus do texto pelo depoimento de diferentes designers, que atuam em áreas diversas. Nesses estudos, fazse presente o paradoxo econômico-cultural que revela a criação dos designers e, ao mesmo tempo, denuncia os limites que submete a criação às leis de mercado. A problemática exposta busca descrever os caminhos não lineares do pensamento, que experimenta distintas temporalidades enquanto elabora projetos. Por isso, mediante as variáveis que relacionam o fenômeno do tempo com o processo de criação, como compreender os procedimentos e as ações dos designers gráficos em suas diferentes temporalidades? A hipótese indica dois eixos norteadores: primeiro esta pesquisa pretende discutir a relação entre design e cultura sob a perspectiva de Pinheiro (2007) e Lotman (1898;1996), compreendendo o designer como tradutor de signos visuais. Em segundo lugar, construir-se-á o argumento levando-se em conta o fenômeno do tempo na perspectiva de haver tempos plurais no processo de criação, os quais se apresentam como índices progressivos da internalização subjetiva, que leva o designer a gerar projetos. Filtrada pela ótica histórica que se mistura à estética gráfica no tempo, revisitar-se-á o passado a partir de Braudel (1987), historiador que possibilita argumentar acerca das permanências no tempo da longa duração . Esta pesquisa justifica-se do ponto de vista de que as especificidades que ocorrem ao longo de um processo de criação, independentemente do objeto que se pretenda investigar, são tecidas num contexto que define a complexidade como trajetória de toda ação (MORIN, 2006). Parte-se aqui do pressuposto de que o tempo faz com que as variáveis do processo assumam sucessivamente a dimensão do modelo aberto, que aceita a condição da dúvida. Esse modo de ser inconstante e, de certa maneira caótico, segue a trilha do pensamento de Eco (2005) e remete a Prigogine (1996), que discute amplamente o princípio da incerteza e o processo de auto-organização, que resguarda os sistemas instáveis de se manterem no caminho da entropia. Pela imprecisão que surge em tais sistemas, torna-se necessária uma descrição probabilística do objeto desta tese, cujo embasamento dar-se-á pela Teoria Geral de Sistemas (TGS) e pela ótica de Vieira (2008). Tais possibilidades terão como analogia o universo primordialmente evolutivo, em que tudo é fluxo e transformação (portanto, mudança). A fundamentação teórica acerca dos processos de criação em rede em construção de base semiótica encontra em Salles (2006) um respaldo que ajusta a tríade: a complexidade dos sistemas, as temporalidades do processo de criação e as representações dos designers gráficos

The performance of product development processes is important to the commercial success of new products. The improvement of these processes is thus a strategic imperative for many engineering companies - the aero-engine is one example of a complex product for which market pressures necessitate ever-shorter development times. This thesis argues that process modelling and simulation can support the improvement of complex product development processes. A literature review identified that design process modelling is a well-establishedresearch area encompassing a diverse range of approaches. However, most existing tools and methods are not widely applied in industry. An extended case study was therefore conducted to explore the pragmatic utility of process modelling and simulation. It is argued that iteration is a key driver of design process behaviour which cannot be fully reflected in a mechanistic model. Understanding iteration can help select an appropriate representation for a given process domain and modelling objective. A model-based approach to improve the management of iterative design processes was developed. This approach shows that design process simulation models can support practice despite their limited fidelity. The modelling and simulation framework resulting from this work was enhanced for application to a wider range of process improvement activities. A robust and extensible software platform was also developed. The framework and software tool have made significant contribution to research projects investigating process redesign, process robustness and process optimisation. These projects are discussed to validate the framework and tool and to highlight their applicability beyond the original approach. The research results were disseminated in academia and industry - 72 copies of the software were distributed following requests in the first three months of its release.

Nowadays, ITIL represents intensely extended methodology for managing ICT services in the corporate services. This whole methodology contains 26 processes in a total of 5 books covering the life cycle of ICT services. One of the processes is also a problem management which is arranged in the book of Service operation. The goal of this dissertation is to design a complex model for the problem management at Vodafone Czech Republic a.s. In the opening of this thesis, the context of the ICT services in the corporate environment is defined. The following part presents basic information which provides the methodology in general. However, it is obvious that this information is insufficient for the real usage in the corporate environment. By combinig the knowledge gained from the methodology with knowledge about other ICT corporate services and business environment, the model itself has been established. Firstly, the chosen corporation was briefly introduced and the key aspects of ICT services were defined. Secondly, the weaknesses of the current state were identified. These inputs were applied in the design of the model. The first element of the model contains a vision and strategy of problem management. Subsequently, an analysis of the interested parties from the perspective of a problem manager was presented. The tools to support the work of a problem manager were briefly outlined and also the responsibilities of each roles -- what is a problem and what is not -- were determined. This model prevents possible misunderstandings and reduces friction surfaces. The main part of the entire model is the proces itself in which were identified 4 basic phases. For the purpose of information transmission in and out of the process was designed a method of communication and escalation matrix. Draft of the model is enclosed by showing key performance indicators. The last part of this thesis contains a design of database of known errors and a discussion of current challenges in the area of the problem management. The author of this thesis is a problem manager in previously described company and therefore he was able to insert his own recommendation from practise in every model supported by casual explanation.

The presented MSc. thesis is focused on the introduction and application of PDMS software in the process piping designing area. The introduction to the employing of the PDMS software is elaborated in the first part of the thesis as practical user manual of this software followed by the benefits of this software as a recognized supportive design program are consequently illustrated on partial solved cases from common design practice. The particular benefit of deploying PDMS in design practice is demonstrated in the thesis by economic evaluation of two selected solved industrial projection cases where design optimization of process piping system is solved with the support of this software system. Introduction of new ones broadening possibilities and current trends in the supportive design software systems, specifically using the scanner and supporting Everything3D are also presented as part of the thesis on a concrete example of the reconstruction of the boiler room.