ASSESSING MODULARISATION TRANSITION WITH METRICS

Modularisation is a major area of interest within the field of engineering design. In order to support engineers in establishing modular product architectures, researchers have published a wide variety of modularisation metrics. However, no research has been found that surveyed the implementation of modularisation metrics in companies transitioning from single product development toward modular system development. For this reason, this paper seeks to close this gap by providing a set of six coherent metrics for modularisation transition. The metrics were developed in close collaboration with industry and tested and applied in a company transitioning toward modularisation. The metrics assess three different levels. First, the business level is assessed for senior managers that have a focus on the overall modular system. Second, result-oriented metrics provide support for engineering managers and senior engineers. Third, product architecture metrics support design engineers on detailed product level already during early design phase. Validation of the metrics in industry showed that the metrics are applicable in industry and support companies in modularisation transition.