Design Process Communication Methodology
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DESIGN PROCESS COMMUNICATION METHODOLOGY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND THE COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Reid Robert Senescu June 2011 © 2011 by Reid Robert Senescu. All Rights Reserved. Re-distributed by Stanford University under license with the author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/ This dissertation is online at: http://purl.stanford.edu/xd549pb6857 ii I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Martin Fischer, Primary Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. John Haymaker, Co-Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Terry Winograd Approved for the Stanford University Committee on Graduate Studies. Patricia J. Gumport, Vice Provost Graduate Education This signature page was generated electronically upon submission of this dissertation in electronic format. An original signed hard copy of the signature page is on file in University Archives. iii Reid Robert Senescu Abstract Building project design teams struggle to (1) collaborate around processes within projects, (2) share processes between projects, and (3) understand opportunities for investment in improving processes across projects. Overcoming each challenge requires effective and efficient communication of design processes. Yet, methods for communicating design processes from the design process communication research field are too cumbersome to be useful during design, and methods from the project information management research field focus only on information exchange and not process communication. To address these limitations, I aggregate findings from organizational science, human computer interaction, and process modeling fields to develop the characteristics of the Design Process Communication Methodology (DPCM). DPCM is Computable, Embedded, Modular, Personalized, Scalable, Shared, Social, and Transparent. Enabling these characteristics, DPCM consists of elements which represent and contextualize processes and methods that enable designers to capture and retrieve processes. To test DPCM, I map the elements and method s to the Process Integration Platform (PIP). PIP is a web tool that enables project teams to organize and share files as nodes in an information dependency map that emerges as the team works. Results from the use of PIP in student design charrettes and class projects provide evidence for the power of DPCM to effectively and efficiently communicate building design processes within project teams, between project teams, and across project teams. I claim DPCM as a contribution to the fields of design process management and project information management. DPCM lays the foundation for commercial software that shifts focus away from incremental and fragmented process improvement toward a platform that nurtures emergence of (1) improved multi- disciplinary collaboration, (2) process knowledge sharing, and (3) innovation-enabling understanding of existing processes. iv Reid Robert Senescu Acknowledgments This dissertation would not exist had I not met my advisor Dr. John Riker Haymaker at a conference in Montreal in 2006. His enthusiasm for taking a multi-disciplinary approach to solving construction industry design problems was so contagious, it prompted me to leave my great job and begin my PhD. Without John’s insightful questions, our research group would not have developed the innovative multi-disciplinary research that the world needs to address its economic, social, and environmental challenges. John is a dedicated and loyal mentor, but also a friend that has made my PhD experience unexpectedly enjoyable. I would also like to thank Prof. Martin Fischer for his enthusiasm for my research and Prof. Terry Winograd who introduced me to the mind-boggling philosophy of phenomenology. I also appreciate Prof. Larry Leifer’s helpful comments as I prepared for my oral exam and Prof. Jeff Heer for serving as chair. Also, throughout my PhD, Dr. John Kunz has provided constant guidance, support, and encouraging feedback. Along with Dr. Kunz, Prof. Ray Levitt’s research on Construction industry processes and organizations provided a stepping stone for my work. The validation of my work would have been impossible without the dedication and ingenuity of software architect, David Anderson. David turned my vision of the Process Integration Platform (PIP) into a reality while also demonstrating successful collaboration is possible completely based on phone conversations without ever meeting each other in person. Zheren Zhang and Nam Wook Kim also contributed to PIP. Also, I would like to thank the over 200 students who used PIP in five Stanford classes, design experiments, and on their own research projects. My PhD was supported by generous funding from Arup. Sir Ove Arup founded his practice in London in 1946 based on a belief in ‘total design’ - the integration of the design v Reid Robert Senescu process and the interdependence of all the professions involved, the creative nature of engineering, the value of innovation and the social purpose of design. My research was both inspired and, I hope, contributes to this vision. In particular, I would like to thank the support of Ibbi Almufti, Stephen Burrows, Chris Field, Anthony Fresquez, Eric Ko, Jason Krolicki, Chris Luebkeman, Andrew Maher, Andrew Mole, Jim Quiter, Cole Roberts, Martin Simpson, and Jeremy Watson. Arup is an inspirational organization of individuals dedicated to the shaping of a better world. The Center for Integrated Facility Engineering Technical Advisory Committee provided additional support for my research. Prof. Ron Wakefield and Prof. Guillermo “red convertible” Aranda-Mena at RMIT University supported my research in Australia. Over 40 professionals in Australia generously spent time with me explaining their design processes. I would like to thank my colleagues at the Center for Integrated Facility Engineering: Caroline Clevenger, Victor Gane, Matt Garr, Robert Graebert, Timo Hartmann, Peggy Ho, Wendy Li, Tobias Maile, Jennifer Tobias, and Ben Welle. Also, there were a few close friends that supported me as I made the difficult transition back to academic life: Susie Cho, Matthew Kennelly, Jordan and Tara Parker, and Stephen Wolf. Most importantly, I would like to thank my mother and father who always encouraged me to be curious about the universe around me and always supported my quest to investigate it. My little sister’s incredible perseverance in attaining her Doctor of Medicine (just one year ahead of me) has been both a motivation and inspiration. And finally, I would like to dedicate my dissertation to my two grandfathers, Samuel J. Rubin and Louis Senescu. These great men planted the entrepreneurial spirit in me. They taught me to not fear failures, that success comes with diligent work, and that success is the enjoyment of the journey towards the success itself. vi Reid Robert Senescu Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ............................................................................................................... xii List of Illustrations .................................................................................................... xiii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 1 Dissertation Overview ..................................................................................................... 1 2 Perspective on Research to Improve AEC Productivity .............................................. 2 3 Narrowing the Scope of the POP Communication Problem ........................................ 6 4 Intuition for Process Communication ............................................................................ 7 5 Explanation of Dissertation ............................................................................................ 9 6 References ....................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Relationships between Project Complexity and Communication ...... 14 1 Abstract .......................................................................................................................... 14 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 15 3 Points of Departure in Project Information, Complexity, and Communication ..... 16 3.1 Product Organization Process – an ontology for project information ...................... 16 3.2 Complexity – assessing the challenge in modeling