ELSEVIER Automation in Construction 7 (1998) 139-15.5 Modelling design processes in industry-empirical investigations of design work in practice Eckart Frankenberger a, * , Petra Badke-Schaub b a zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCB Darmstadt Uniuersity zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIH of Technology, Germany b Uniuersity zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGF of Barnberg, Germany zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPO Abstract In the research project ‘Teamwork in Engineering Design Practice,’ engineers of the Darmstadt University of Technology and psychologists of the University of Bamberg are investigating design processes of groups in industry in order to get a deeper understanding of the interdependencies in design practice. The overall aim of this project is to outline a model of group design processes in industry as a basis for further development of systematic design with special emphasis on teamwork. 0 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. Keywords: Design practice; Design processes; Systematic design 1. Introduction The general demand to develop products of higher quality at lower costs in even less time requires a more parallel cycle of work in product development as opposed to the traditional mainly sequential cycle. Consequently, engineering designers are more and more collaborating in teams crossing both depart- ment and even company borders ([l]). In this situa- tion, engineering designers are struggling not primar- ily with technical problems, but more with difficul- ties related to their environment (e.g., effective orga- nization) and to their colleagues, as surveys concem- ing the problems of engineering designers in industry have shown ([2,3]). Obviously, cooperative work in groups is more than merely an exchange of information, it is an * Corresponding author inherent component of each work in design practice and includes new demands on communication and cooperation. Moreover, the trend to cooperative work is not unique to engineering design, it is a sign of our more and more complex world with its increasing demands. These demands do not match our experi- ences of ordinary daily life, which is dominated by routine for the most part and which mostly allows us to observe the direct consequences of our activities. On the contrary, these complex working situations often contain novel problems and can be character- ized by a lack of information about the subject and its influencing factors. Additionally, the possibilities to intervene are often very much restricted. Deci- sions are frequently irreversible and sometimes the situation becomes dynamic and requires decision- making under uncertainty and time-pressure. These demands raise important questions, such as how to organize teamwork effectively in complex 0926-5805/98/$19.00 0 1998 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved PII SO926-5805(97)00059-9