Change propagation analysis for sustainability in product design

Abstract

Components in complex systems are intricately interconnected with each other. When design changes are needed in terms of sustainability, it is necessary to understand how change propagates and affects other systems. Therefore, the objective of this paper describes how to define the cause of a sustainable design change and the effect of change propagation by utilizing Change Propagation Analysis (CPA) and system dynamics. The interconnections of components in a complex system are investigated by Design Structure Matrix (DSM) and system dynamics. Design changes are subdivided into sustainable classes by the sustainable checklist. The likelihoods of design change are measured by designers in functional DSM and sustainable impact values are calculated by using the sustainable checklist and expressed in sustainable DSM. The system dynamics is used to analyze and visualize patterns and behaviors of sustainable changes based on DSM. © 2013 IEEE.