This paper introduces a web-based application that enables engineers or designers to identify risks during the conceptual phase of a product design. This software application was developed based on the Risk in Early Design (RED) method developed by Author, Stone, and Tumer. The RED method demonstrates that risks can be identified in the early phase of product design by relating recorded historical failure information to product functions. Based on the concept of RED theory and current industry needs, the goals of a web-based RED application were defined. These goals are the intended benefits or functionalities that the web-based RED application would provide. In addition, a multi-level evaluation framework was adopted to determine how well the application meets the needs of various organizations. As part of the evaluation, a questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample industrial and academic user group. The results of the evaluation indicate that the web-based RED software application meets many of the goals to help an organization in performing product risk analysis.
L. Rosenberg, T. Hammer and A. Gallo, “Continuous Risk Management at NASA,” Proceedings of Quality Week Confer-ence, San Francisco, May 1999.
L. Meshkat, S. Cornford and T. Moran, “Risk Based Decision Tool for Space Explora-tion Missions,” Proceed- ings of the AIAA Space Conference, Long Beach, Sep- tember 2003.
Securac Incorporated. http://www.securac.com
Design Safety Engineering Web Site. http://www.designsafe.com/dsesoftware.php
http://www.ist-usa.com/
http://www.safetyscorekeepers.com/
All Hazards Management Web Site. http://www.allhazardsmanagement.com/cora.htm
Champs, Incorporated Web Site. http://www.champsinc.com
S. Karthik, C. Abhishek and D. Derek, “Identifying Risk at the Conceptual Phase of Product Design: A Software Solution,” ASME Conference Proceedings, Vol. 2, 2007, pp. 291-298. doi:10.1115/DETC2007-35473
L. Meskhat, S. Cornford, L. Voss and M. Feather, “An Integrated Approach to Risk As-sessment for Concurrent Design,” IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, 5-12 March 2005, pp. 80-88. doi:10.1109/AERO.2005.1559301
S. Jean and P. S. Mi-chelle. “A Framework for Real-World Software System Evalua-tions,” Proceedings of the 2004 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Vol. 6, No. 3, 2004, pp. 600-603. doi:10.1145/1031607.1031710
B. Kayis, M. Zhou, Y. B. Khoo, A. Ahmed, R. Kusumo and A. Rispler, “IR-MAS—Development of a Risk Management Tool for Collabo-rative Multi-Site, Multi-Partner New Product Development Projects,” Journal of Manu- facturing Technology Management, Vol. 18 No. 4, 2007, pp. 387-414. doi:10.1108/17410380710743770
Neohapsis Web Site. http://www.riskgovernance.com/
T. Punter, R. Van Sol-ingen and J. Trienekens, “Software Product Evalua-tion—Current Status and Future Needs for Customers and In-dustry,” 4th Conference on Evaluation of Information Tech-nology, Delft, October 30-31, 1997, pp. 1-11.
M. P. Steves and J. Scholtz, “Metrics Mapping Concepts,” NISTIR 7061, National Institute of Standards and Tech- nology, Gaithersburg, 2003, pp. 1-12.
G. E. Murine, “Applying Software Qual-ity Metrics in the Requirements Analysis Phase of a Distribu-tive System,” Proceedings of the Minnowbrook Workshop, Blue Moun- tain Lake, New York, 1980.
B. W. Boehm, J. R. Brown and M. Lipow, “Quantitative Evaluation of Software Quality,” Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Software Engineering, Los Alamitos, 1976, pp. 592-605.
J. A. McCall, P. K. Richards and G. F. Walters, “Factors in Soft-ware Quality, (RADC TR-77-369),” National Technical Infor-mation Service, Alexandria, 1977.
M. Kogure and Y. Akao, “Quality Function Deployment and CWQC in Japan,” Quality Progress, Vol. 16, No. 10, 1983, pp. 25-29.
V. R. Basili and H. Rombach, “Tailoring the Software Process to Project Goals and Environments,” Proceedings of the 9th Inter-national Conference on Software Engineering, 1987, pp. 345-357.
V. R Basili and D. M. A Weiss, “Methodology for Col- lecting Valid Software Engineering Data,” IEEE Transac- tions on Software Engineering, Vol. SE-10, No. 3, 1984, pp. 728-738. doi:10.1109/TSE.1984.5010301
H. D. Rombach, “Practical Benefits of Goal-Oriented Measurement,” In: N. Fenton and B. Littlewood, Eds., Software Reliability and Metrics, Elsevier Science Publishing Co., London, 1991, pp. 217-235.
F. V. Latum and R. V. Soligen, “Adopting GQM-Based Measurement in an Industrial Environment,” IEEE Software, Vol. 15, No. 1, 1998, pp. 740 -7459.
I. Tumer “Function Based Risk Assessment: Mapping Function to Likelihood,” Proceedings of DETC’05, Vol. 5a, Long Beach, 24-28 September 2005, pp. 455-467. doi:10.1115/DETC2005-85053
Office of the Under Sec-retary of Defense, “DSMC Risk Management Guide for DoD Acquisition,” 2nd Edition, Defense Systems Management Col-lege Press, Fort Belvoir, 1999.
A. D. Meyer and J. B. Goes, “Organizational Assimilation of Innovations: A Multi-level Contextual Analysis,” Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 31, No. 4, 1988, pp. 897-923. doi:10.2307/256344
J. Hirtz, R. Stone, D. McAdams, S. Szykman and K. Wood, “A Functional Basis for Engineering Design: Reconciling and Evolving Previous Efforts,” Research in Engineering Design, Vol. 13, No. 2, 2002, pp. 65-82.
C. Bryant, R. Stone, J. L. Greer, D. McAdams, T. Kurtoglu and M. Campbell, “A Func-tion-Based Component Ontology for Systems Design,” Pro-ceedings of the 16th International Conference on Engineering Design, Paris, France, 28-31 of August 2007, pp. 119-120.
I. Tumer, R. Stone and D. Bell, “Requirements for a Fail- ure Mode Taxonomy for Use in Conceptual Design,” Pro- ceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Design, Stockholm, 19-21 August 2003, pp. 109-124.
R. Stone and T I. umer, “Failure Prevention through Effective Cataloguing and Utilization of Historical Failure Events,” Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 8, No. 5, 2008, pp 469-481. doi:10.1007/s11668-008-9160-7
J. Vucovich, R. Stone, X. F. Liu and I. Tumer, “Early Identification of Potential Software Failures Using the Software Function-Failure Design Method,” 29th International Conference on Software Engineering, Min-nea- polis, 20-26 May 2007.
R. Patil, “Business Risk in Early Design (BRED): A Business Risk Assessment Ap-proach,” Engineering Man- agement Journal.
E. Cudney, “Managing Lean Implementation Risks,” Proceedings of the 2009 Industrial Engineering Research Conference, Miami, 30 May-3 June 2009.