Conflict Management in Collaborative Engineering Design: Basic Research in Fundamental Theory, Modeling Framework, and Computer Support for Collaborative Engineering Activities

摘要

All real-world engineering tasks involve collaborative activities among a group of human participants. The ability to understand, support, and improve collaboration is a critical factor in determining the overall cost, time, and effectiveness of modern engineering activities. Collaborative engineering tools are being introduced into the market at a rate so high that it is difficult to infuse technology in a reasoned and effective manner. Practitioners must decide which tools to adopt and to develop new and more effective processes. These decisions are made even more difficult by the fact that no body of theory exists that has been shown to describe the interaction between complex object-oriented data models, engineering processes, and human decision making. The objective of this work was to develop the Theory for Collaboration in support of complex engineering system decisions in a highly distributed and heterogeneous environment. The results of this research will lead to a sound theoretical foundation that may be used to analytically and mathematically model, simulate, manage, and optimize collaborative engineering activities. Such a theory of collaboration will enable researchers to design, predict, and control various collaborative activities, systems, and environments, and to implement practical IT systems to support these important human endeavors.