Framework for managing preliminary information in collaborative design processes

The design process of technical artifacts requires collaborative activities among various disciplines. The organization requires the actors to exchange preliminary information which are non-mature. Designers often make decisions relying on information that are invalid and not finalized. Current computing systems, in particular those intended to manage technical data EDMS such as PDM are hard to conciliate with the dynamic and the evolutionary aspects of the design data. Design data are partially integrated in PDM and represent consolidated and valid states. This article is based on a qualitative study of engineering projects. The framework proposed in this article represents preliminary information management models. They are based on maturity of information and workspaces concepts. The present model-based framework reports only two workspaces, among four, that correspond to management of preliminary information. We argue that such management supports designers in their day to day collaboration and allows them exchanging preliminary information.