Estimating Iterative Design duration using DSM and MATLAB

Design phase is characterized by highly coupled and interdependent activities, which result rework or iteration in this phase. In dealing with this problem, information flows have to be well organized, so it can lead to the most optimum completion time. The Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) is a compact matrix representation that models information flows among activities in the design phase. Previous DSM concepts used basic logic of faster and fewer iteration, while assuming the number of iteration occurred to achieve optimum completion time. The performance of a sequence can be evaluated by estimating its duration. Estimating the duration of an iterative design process is complex due to the presence of numerous probabilistic feedback events. In this work, a Matlab simulation based approach is investigated for estimating the iterative design duration. Using the simulation model a design manager can decide on two aspects (i) the sequence of activities for execution and (ii) the execution strategy to minimize project duration. The scope of the present study is limited to time aspects.