Exploring the impact of set-based concurrent engineering through multi-agent system simulation

Set-based concurrent engineering (SBCE), a process that develops sets of many design candidates for each subproblem throughout a design project, proposes several benefits compared to point-based processes, where only one design candidate for each subproblem is chosen for further development. These benefits include reduced rework, improved design quality, and retention of knowledge to use in future projects. Previous studies that introduce SBCE in practice achieved success and had very positive future outlooks, but SBCE encounters opposition because its core procedures appear wasteful as designers must divide their time among many designs throughout the process, most of which are ultimately not used. The impacts of these procedures can be explored in detail through open-source computational tools, but currently few exist to do this. This work introduces the Point/Set-Organized Research Teams (PSORT) modeling platform to simulate and analyze a set-based design process. The approach is used to verify statements made about SBCE and investigate its effects on project quality. Such an SBCE platform enables process exploration without needing to commit many projects and resources to any given design.