A solution for actors' viewpoints representation with collaborative product development

TL;DR

This paper proposes a neutral viewpoints representation approach for collaborative product development, enabling actors from diverse fields to share and integrate information effectively using XML-based models.

Contribution

It introduces a structured, XML-based solution for representing actors' viewpoints, supporting integration and sharing in collaborative product development.

Findings

XML standard enables effective viewpoints sharing

Application case demonstrates practical implementation

Supports integration through PLM and SCM systems

Abstract

As product complexity and marketing competition increase, a collaborative product development is necessary for companies which develop high quality products in short lead-times. To support product actors from different fields, disciplines, and locations, wishing to exchange and share information, the representation of the actors' viewpoints is the underlying requirement of the collaborative product development. The actors' viewpoints approach was designed to provide an organisational framework following the actors' perspectives in the collaboration, and their relationships, could be explicitly gathered and formatted. The approach acknowledges the inevitability of multiple integration of product information as different views, promotes gathering of actors' interests, and encourages retrieved adequate information while providing support for integration through PLM and/or SCM collaboration. In this paper, a solution for neutral viewpoints representation is proposed. The product, process, and organisation information models are seriatim discussed. A series of issues referring to the viewpoints representation are discussed in detail. Based on XML standard, taking cyclone vessel as an example, an application case of part of product information modelling is stated.