Development of a methodical approach for Requirements Management in collaborative Networks (ReMaiN)

• Applicant: Professorin Dr.-Ing. Petra Winzer
• Subject Area: Engineering Design, Machine Elements, Product Development ; Production Systems, Operations Management, Quality Management and Factory Planning
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 320394109

Frequently corporations are aligning with other corporations to networks for realizing advantages. Especially for manufacturing mechatronic systems, collaborative networks are reasonable. This can be constituted as the different components of these systems are developed and built by different disciplines (e.g. electrical engineering, mechanical engineering). However the handling of product- and organizational complexity is impeded, as the different disciplines use their own specific approaches, models and comprehensions. The challenges for collaborative networks are inter alia the handling of: the diversity of stakeholders, the diversity of requirements as well as the diversity of different methodical approaches e.g. for Requirements Management. Subsequent the example of manufacturing the mechatronic system -autonomous vacuum cleaner- and its dedicated system parts -infrared barrier- and -charging station-, which are realized by a collaborative network, will be investigated. Therefore several sets of problems were identified. These are the initial points for the development of a collaborative network spanning Requirements Management (ReMaiN) approach. The first focused set of problems can be explained by diverging requirements as well as diversity of requirements in global production and markets. Requirements of internal and external stakeholders of the collaborative network have to be elicited, analyzed and provided for every partner in the network. The second set of problems is represented by the different Requirements Management approaches which are not synchronized. These approaches also use different discipline specific procedures and methods. The third set of problems includes the assignment of the requirements to the components or other system elements of the product system and the party responsible in the collaborative network. Only with an unambiguous understanding product quality can be increased. Therefore the aim of ReMaiN is to develop an approach for a joint and synchronized Requirements Management for collaborative networks which takes the explained set of problems into account. This approach has to be aligned with a standardized system model. This should simplify the handling of complexity and diversity of requirements as well as their relations with other elements. Such a systematic and transferable approach will not only increase product quality. Also the potential for Germany as a manufacturing location for collaborative networks will be strengthen.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants