WP024: The Virtual Design Team: A Computer Simulation Framework for Studying Organizational Aspects of Concurrent Design

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: Engineering disciplines have long had mathematical models and, more recently, numerical computational models, to support analysis and optimization of physical systems. In contrast, the use of computers to support analysis in the design of social systems has been very limited. The goal of the Virtual Design Team (VDT) research project is to develop computerized analysis tools to support the systematic design of organization structures-including the communication tools that permit data, decisions and knowledge to be shared within and between organizations for complex, project-oriented tasks. The Virtual Design Team is a computational discrete event simulation model incorporating qualitative reasoning concepts derived from artificial intelligence research. VDT explicitly incorporates information processing and communication models from organization theory that allow qualitative predictions of organizational performance. VDT's behavior has been validated extensively for internal consistency. Its behavior also compares well with theoretical predictions about, and the observed behavior of, real project teams of petrochemical refinery, offshore oil systems, and power plant construction. In this paper we describe the theoretical basis for, and implementation of, VDT and explain how it can be used to teach future project managers about the design of organization structures.

Type of resource	text
Date created	November 1993

Subject	CIFE
Subject	Center for Integrated Facility Engineering
Subject	Stanford University
Subject	Artificial Intelligence
Subject	Organizational Theory
Subject	Simulation
Subject	VDT
Subject	Virtual Design Team
Genre	Technical report

Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/nr267cv2120

Use and reproduction: User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.

Preferred Citation: Jin, Yan and Levitt, Raymond E. and Christiansen, Tore. (1993). WP024: The Virtual Design Team: A Computer Simulation Framework for Studying Organizational Aspects of Concurrent Design. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/nr267cv2120

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