Identifying experts for engineering changes using product data analytics

This paper aims to provide an expert identification procedure in an organization where design engineers share an integrated product data management (PDM) database for their product development and engineering changes (ECs). To identify experts for ECs, the procedure follows a product data analytics (PDA) approach that uses PDM databases as its operational data source to analyze different aspects of product development processes managed by PDM systems. It also employs a two-phase analysis procedure that considers the artefact and actor networks of the PDM system and participating engineers. The procedure also introduces EC history-centered multidimensional data analysis and social network analysis (SNA) for the two phases, respectively. To demonstrate the feasibility of the procedure, this study implemented it using a research-purpose PDM system, extract-transform-load (ETL) module, data cube with on-line analytical processing and SNA engines. It also provides a product design example with multiple engineering changes applied to the implemented prototype system as proof of the implementation and the procedure.