Survey of Concurrent Engineering Environments and the Application of Best Practices towards the Development of a Multiple Industry, Multiple Domain Environment

Abstract

This thesis investigates the best practices of fifteen existing Concurrent Engineering Environments (CEE). A CEE is defined as any environment, from physical to virtual, designed to facilitate concurrent engineering with multiple domain experts real time. All existing environments surveyed have been focused on the aerospace industry showing significant reductions in design time and cost. I have identified hardware, software, and peopleware as three major classifications as well as sixteen subcategories with which to compare the different CEEs. The success in reducing time and cost of designs seen in the aerospace industry with the introduction of CEEs can and should be leveraged into additional domains and industries. This thesis explores the attributes of existing environments, the needs of additional industries, and the recommended concurrent engineering environment configuration appropriate for a multi-industry/multi-domain focus