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Abstract

Traditional requirements definition activities begin with the engineer or design team performing a needs-analysis to identify user requirements [5]. While recent studies have focused on Conceptual Design activities, research into the requirements-definition pro cess has for the most part been lacking. Needs-analysis is generally subjective, and varies according to the composition and experience of the design team. Systematic procedures for defining and ranking requirements could consolidate the foundation on which the design process is predicated and enhance its outcome by providing the designer with a consistent, reliable approach to product development [1]. Before such systematic procedures could be developed, it would be necessary to establish an understanding of the existing process by which requirements evolve, and to create a model for evaluating this process. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted at Stanford Uni versity using empirical data from an actual spaceflight experiment, sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), and flown aboard the Space Shuttle. A large body of empirical evidence was examined, and on the basis of this evidence, the method of problem-reduc tion using AND/OR graphs proved to be an effective framework for analyzing requirements-evolution.

Keywords

design theory requirements needs-analysis product design problem-reduction information modelling.

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Analyzing Requirements—Evolution in Engineering Design Using the Method of Problem-Reduction

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