The Design-to-Analysis Process at Sandia National Laboratories Observations and Recommendations

The efficiency of the design-to-analysis process for translating solid-model-based design data to computational analysis model data plays a central role in the application of computational analysis to engineering design and certification. A review of the literature from within Sandia as well as from industry shows that the design-to-analysis process involves a number of complex organizational and technological issues. This study focuses on the design-to-analysis process from a business process standpoint and is intended to generate discussion regarding this important issue. Observations obtained from Sandia staff member and management interviews suggest that the current Sandia design-to-analysis process is not mature and that this cross-organizational issue requires committed high-level ownership. A key recommendation of the study is that additional resources should be provided to the computer aided design organizations to support design-to-analysis. A robust community of practice is also needed to continuously improve the design-to-analysis process and to provide a corporate perspective.