Document viewpoint on one-of-a-kind delivery process

This paper presents the results of an analysis on document interdependencies in a major production system delivery process. In total 28 chief engineers from various design groups were interviewed by identifying the main document classes produced and the required input information. The results of the interviews were summarised into a Design Structure Matrix (DSM) representation. Analyses were made based on design groups, document classes and on the exchange of documents. The group-level analysis highlights the central role of inter-organisational information transfer between the manufacturer and customer as well as between manufacturer and consultant behind the system configuration. The analysis on document classes indicates that the total number of different documents required as an input from the project partners remains small, when compared to the overall document mass. More specifically, the analysis highlights the fundamental role of the requirements specification produced in the course of bid preparation. Concerning the physical document exchange, the study shows that for in-house transfers the electronic medium is widely used. However, paper-print is still the predominant media for transferring information across organisational boundaries. At the same time around 90% of the end-system cost comes from machinery, external design work and parts and components supplied by external vendors. The results indicate, that by focusing on the key documents (10% of the overall document mass), which are needed by practically all collaborating parties and design groups (90% of the contributors), and their efficient dissemination and control, the project could be carried out with fewer mistakes and uncertainty. It is also concluded that Internet and WWW based solutions are rapidly becoming mature enough to tackle the challenge of inter-organisational document sharing.