Requirements management: a representation scheme for product specifications

Product definition processes take a product specification (defining the requirements that the product must satisfy) and transform it into a product definition (defining, at least, the shape and material of the required product so that it can be manufactured). Recent advances in computer aided design technology have allowed product definitions to be captured electronically. Currently the resulting electronic product definitions are centred around representations of physical product structures and shape-related properties. The industrial need is now moving towards a desire to manage requirements in a plausible architecture. From this basis the product's functional requirements can be identified and converted into physical elements which can be related to design intent/rationale; this requires the linking of elements of physical product structure and shape with elements of an electronic product specification. The research reported in this paper is focussed on the realisation of an electronic product specification. Such a specification must be defined in a way that allows relationships to electronic product definitions to be established. A product data model that supports the description of mechanical product specifications is presented and its functionality is demonstrated through a case study. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.