Design to cost; a framework for large industrial products

Abstract One of the main aspects that must be considered while developing any industrial project is its cost. Design to Cost (DtC) processes allow the design team to manage any kind of project based on the costs of each of the phases and of the elements, by applying a number of methodologies, techniques, cost models and tools. In this paper, a DtC framework is proposed, taking other DtC centered research as references and focusing on a probabilistic approach, in order to lead the early design stages of large industrial products, where most of the information is unclear or is still being defined. A literature review about DtC methodologies and techniques is first carried out in order to analyze, compare and classify them and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each one.