C. Integration of engineering disciplines
The technical complexity of projects requires a
development based on the division of labor and the usage of
expert know-how [8]. Typical disciplines in technical projects
are mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil
engineering and automation engineering. All engineering
disciplines have to be integrated in a module to ensure the
intended function. For instance, if standards or modules are
defined only by mechanical engineering and under a
mechanical point of view, a module primarily fulfills a
mechanical function. Further the engineering effort is reduced
mainly in the mechanical engineering department. However,
other engineering aspects like electrical and civil engineering
may be neglected, which results in an increased engineering
effort in other engineering disciplines since their design
requirements have not been considered adequately.
The case studies showed that the development of modules
is often driven by a single engineering discipline. Due to the
insufficient degree of integration of different disciplines which
are involved in the engineering process, information
deficiencies and inconsistencies can evolve [29][32][33-35].
and IT-system landscapes with a low degree of integration
between the software tools, leading to redundant data, data
inconsistencies and high development efforts in case of
changes [29][30][31]. This is especially true for the integration
of project independent activities like MSP with project related
engineering tasks.
The case studies showed that there is a multitude of tools
used in the design phase (e.g. dedicated authoring systems for
each discipline) and that there often is a low interaction
between them. Data exchange is done mainly on an semiautomated
excel basis. The same applies for the interaction of
tools of the design phase with tools of other value phases (e.g.
procurement, service). Despite existing solutions like product
lifecycle management systems a seamless exchange of
technical data along the value chain is rare. Reasons are e.g.
high efforts for customization of existing tools or high
investment costs for new tools.