Quality research management improves design research effectiveness
Abstract
Design research projects are often more complex than initially perceived due to a requirement for novelty, the creativity inherent in the design process, and the limited experience of novice researchers. Also, expectations from institutions and external funding stakeholders must be met. Therefore, a framework was needed to support the research effort in the form of quality research management. The focus of this framework is primarily to align stakeholders. To this end, engineering management methods were consulted to define a quality research management framework that provides review baselines, requirements traceability, and a general process model. The framework is based on the well-known ‘house of quality’ principle that provides requirements traceability. A series of matrices was developed, with a research validation matrix resulting from the combination of traceability matrices. This matrix allows the allocation of research challenges to a need, concept solutions to research challenges, and specific research solutions to concept solutions. Also, information sources are allocated to challenges and solutions to verify their authenticity. It is thus possible to visualise clearly a summary of the research project. Additional benefits include improved communication, visualisastion of progress, traceability of requirements, and verification and validation, which illustrates the value of quality research management Ontwerpsnavorsingsprojekte is dikwels meer kompleks as wat
aanvanklik begryp word weens die vereiste vir oorspronklikheid, die
kreatiwiteit inherent tot die ontwerpsproses en die beperkte
ervaring van nuwe navorsers. Verwagtinge van instansies en
eksterne befondsers moet ook aangespreek word. Daarom word ʼn
raamwerk benodig, in die vorm van kwaliteit navorsingsbestuur, om
die navorsingspoging te steun. Die fokus van die raamwerk is
hoofsaaklik om belanghebbendes te belyn. Met hierdie ten doel was
ingenieursbestuursmetodes aangewend om ʼn kwaliteit
navorsingsbestuur raamwerk te definieer wat hersieningsbasislyne
daarstel, vereistes naspeurbaar maak, en ʼn algemene prosesmodel
beskikbaar stel. Die raamwerk is gebaseer op die bekende ‘house of
quality‘ beginsel wat naspeurbaarheid van vereistes daarstel. ʼn
Reeks matrikse is ontwikkel met ʼn navorsingsvalidasiematriks
gedefinieer as die samestelling van naspeurmatrikse. Hierdie
matriks ondersteun die toedeling van navorsingsuitdagings aan ʼn
behoefte, konsep-oplossings aan navorsingsuitdagings en spesifieke
navorsingsoplossings aan konsep-oplossings. Informasiebronne word
ook toegedeel aan uitdagings en konsep-oplossings om die
oorspronklikheid daarvan te verifieer. Dit is dus moontlik om die
projek opsommend te visualiseer. Addisionele voordele sluit
verbeterde kommunikasie, visualisering van vordering,
naspeurbaarheid van vereistes, verifikasie en validasie in, wat die
waarde van kwaliteit navorsingsbestuur illustreer
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10394/34113http://sajie.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/2246/964
https://doi.org/10.7166/30-3-2246