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An ontological framework for clarifying flexibility‐related terminology via literature survey

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  • Erin T. Ryan
  • David R. Jacques
  • John M. Colombi

Abstract

Despite its ubiquity in the systems engineering literature, flexibility remains an ambiguous concept. There exist a multitude of definitions, which vary not only by domain, but within domains as well. Furthermore, these definitions often conflict with one another, making it difficult to discern the intended meaning in a given study or to form generalizations across studies. Complicating matters, there is a plethora of related terminology that is often used carelessly and/or inter‐changeably with flexibility. In this paper, we employ a novel ontological framework for clarifying salient aspects of extant flexibility‐related terminology. While it was not possible to distill consensus definitions from the literature, we did identify certain dominant characteristics that enabled us to formulate a set of democratic definitions for flexibility, adaptability, and robustness, as well as recommended definitions for agility and versatility. We believe that the proposed definitions of these key system design principles may provide a baseline for improving analysis and communication among systems engineering practitioners and academics. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 16:

Suggested Citation

  • Erin T. Ryan & David R. Jacques & John M. Colombi, 2013. "An ontological framework for clarifying flexibility‐related terminology via literature survey," Systems Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(1), pages 99-110, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:syseng:v:16:y:2013:i:1:p:99-110
    DOI: 10.1002/sys.21222
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    1. V. Krishnan & Shantanu Bhattacharya, 2002. "Technology Selection and Commitment in New Product Development: The Role of Uncertainty and Design Flexibility," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(3), pages 313-327, March.
    2. Fitzgerald, Guy & Barad, Miryam & Papazafeiropoulou, Anastasia & Alaa, Ghada, 2009. "A framework for analyzing flexibility of generic objects," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(1), pages 329-339, November.
    3. Thomke, Stefan H., 1997. "The role of flexibility in the development of new products: An empirical study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 105-119, March.
    4. Adam M. Ross & Donna H. Rhodes & Daniel E. Hastings, 2008. "Defining changeability: Reconciling flexibility, adaptability, scalability, modifiability, and robustness for maintaining system lifecycle value," Systems Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(3), pages 246-262, September.
    5. Gebauer, Judith & Lee, Fei, 2007. "Enterprise System Flexibility and Implementation Strategies-Aligning Theory with Evidence from a Case Study," Working Papers 07-0113, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.
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    1. David A. Broniatowski & Joel Moses, 2016. "Measuring Flexibility, Descriptive Complexity, and Rework Potential in Generic System Architectures," Systems Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(3), pages 207-221, May.
    2. David A. Broniatowski, 2017. "Flexibility Due to Abstraction and Decomposition," Systems Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(2), pages 98-117, March.
    3. Michel‐Alexandre Cardin & Mehdi Ranjbar‐Bourani & Richard de Neufville, 2015. "Improving the Lifecycle Performance of Engineering Projects with Flexible Strategies: Example of On‐Shore LNG Production Design," Systems Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(3), pages 253-268, May.

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