A collaborative knowledge management system for concurrent design and manufacturing

Knowledge systems for scientific and engineering endeavors must be able to insure the accuracy, completeness, and validity of their contents. When designed as such, these systems become the vehicle that fosters communication between designers and manufacturers, and drive the success of the engineered product. Shared information about product histories, materials, design intention, manufacturing techniques, and lessons learned provides an avenue for this communication and a foundation for concurrent design and manufacturing. In implementing a knowledge management system for glass-metal seals, we found that the structure of expert communities, the patterns of communication across disciplines, and the informal sketches and stories that experts use in casual discussion are essential for a successful product. Although these contextual factors seldom find their way into structured scientific forums, they often reveal the broader strategies behind the development and application of knowledge. More importantly, preserving these “extra-technical” features gives a system’s users an implicit experience of the subtle interpretations, viewpoints and strategies that define engineering expertise. This expert point of view, or expert voice, is difficult to elicit but provides valuable insight into the thought processes and problem solving strategies of the expert.