Abstract
The primary hypothesis of this paper is thatinternal and external changes in design andmanufacturing organizations affect theviability of boundary objects (representations,drawings, models – virtual and physical) andrequire changes in the underlying distributedcognitive models. Internal and external factorsinclude new advances in technologies, insightsinto organizational processes, organizationalrestructuring and change of market focus. Ifthe above hypothesis is true, then there areconsequences for the methodologies of designingcomputational support systems for co-operativeengineering work. We provide evidence bydescribing three empirical studies ofengineering design we have performed in largeorganizations. We investigate how changingtechnologies disrupt the common grounds amonginterfaces and how this opens debate onthe role of boundary objects, especially in theproduct visualization and analysis arena. Wethen argue that changes in market forces andother factors leading to changes inorganizational structures often lead to erosionof common understanding of representations andprototypes, above all at the interfaces. Weconclude by making the case that everystructural and information flow change inengineering organizations is accompanied by thepotential deterioration of the common ground.This requires the synthesis of new commongrounds to accommodate the needs of newinterfaces.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bhavnani, S.K. and B.E. John (1997): From Sufficient to Efficient Usage: An Analysis of Strategic Knowledge. Proceedings of CHI 97, pp. 91–98.
Bannon, L. and K. Schmidt (1993): CSCW: Four Characters in Search of a Context. Readings in Groupware and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Assisting Human-Human Collaboration. Baecker, R. M., Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc.
Bucciarelli, L.L. (1994): Designing Engineers. MIT Press.
Collins, M.P, F.J. Vecchio, R.J. Selby and P. Gupta (1997): Failure of An Offshore Oil Platform Concrete Base. Concrete Journal. American Concrete Institute.
Clark, H. (1996): Using Language. Cambridge University Press.
Davis, J.G., E. Subrahmanian and A.W. Westerberg (1999): Knowledge In a Large Multinational Company. Proceedings of the Carnegie-Bosch Instititute Grantees workshop on Knowledge Management and Global Information Systems, //http:www.cbi.gsia.cmu.edu, San Francisco.
Davis, J.G., E. Subrahmanian, S.L. Konda, H. Granger, H. Collins and A.W. Westerberg (2001): Creating Shared Information Spaces for Collaborative Design. To appear in Information Systems Frontiers.
Dutoit, A. (1996): Role of Communication in Software Projects. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Electrical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University.
The Economist (2000), All Yours, March 31.
Ferguson, E.F. (1994), Engineering the Mind's Eye. MIT Press.
Finger, S., S.L. Konda and E. Subrahmanian (1995): Concurrent Design Happens at the Interfaces. AIEDAM, vol. 9, pp. 89–99.
Finger, S., E. Gardner and E. Subrahmanian (1993): Design Support Systems for Concurrent Engineering: A Case Study in Large Power Transformer Design. Proc. Int. Conference Engineering Design, ICED 93. The Hague.
Henderson, K. (1999): On Line and on Paper: Visual Representations, Visual Culture, and Computer Graphics in Design Engineering. MIT Press.
Lackoff, G. (1999) Women, Fire and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal about the Mind. University of Chicago Press, Paper Back Edition.
Leifer, L.J. and A. Mabogunje (1996): Measuring the Mechanical Engineering Design Process. FIE 96 Conference. http://www.cdr.stanford.edu/~leifer/publications/FIE96/FIE96.html
Monarch, I., S.L. Konda, S. Levy, Y. Reich, E. Subrahmanian and C. Ulrich (1997): Mapping Sociotechnical Networks in the Making. In G. Bowker, S.L. Star, W. Turner and L. Gasser (eds.): Social Science, Technical Systems and Co-operative Work: Beyond the Great Divide. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Naur, P. (1985): Programming as Theory Building. Microprocessing and Microprogramming, vol. 15, pp. 253–261.
Naur, P. (1992): Computing as a Human Activity. Addison Wesley.
Petroski, H. (1994): Design Paradigms: Errors of Judgement in Engineering. Cambridge University Press.
Reddy, J.C., S. Finger, S.L. Konda and E. Subrahmanian (1997): Designing as Building and Re-Using of Artifact Theories: Understanding and Support of Design Knowledge. Proceedings of the Workshop on Engineering Design Debate. University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland.
Schmidt, K. and C. Simone (1996): Coordination Mechanisms: Towards a Conceptual Foundation of CSCW Systems Design. Consumer Supported Cooperative Work, The Journal of Collaborative Computing, vol. 5, nos. 2–3, pp. 155–200.
Star, S.L. (1989): The Structure of Ill-Structured Solutions: Heterogeneous Problem Solving, Boundary Objects and Distributed Artificial Intelligence. In Huhns and Gasser (eds.): Distributed Artificial Intelligence. Morgan Kaufmann.
Star, S.L. and G. Bowker (1999): Sorting Things Out. MIT Press.
Strauss, A. and J. Corbin (1994): Grounded Theory Methodology. In Denzin and Lincoln (eds.): Handbook of Qualitative Research.
Subrahmanian, E., E. Daleng and A. Maeland (1995): Information Flow Analysis of Design at the Power Equipment Division. Confidential Report.
Subrahmanian, E., Y. Reich, S. Konda, D. Cunningham, A. Dutoit, R. Patrick and A. Westerberg (1997): The n-dim Approach to Building Design Support Systems. ASME Design Theory and Methodology Conference. San Diego.
Subrahmanian, E., H. Granger and R. Milliken (1999): An Information Flow Analysis of the Engineering Change and Design Specification Process for Transit Systems. Confidential Report.
Waring, S.P. (1994): Taylorism Transformed: Scientific Management Since 1945. University of North Carolina Press.
Wren, F.H. (1997): Synthesis of Variety. PhD Thesis, Technical University of Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Subrahmanian, E., Monarch, I., Konda, S. et al. Boundary Objects and Prototypes at the Interfaces of Engineering Design. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 12, 185–203 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023976111188
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023976111188