Model Based Decision Support for Value and Sustainability in Product Development

Paper in proceeding, 2015

Decomposing and clarify “sustainability” implications in the same way as concrete targets on product functionality is challenging, mainly due to the problem of showing numbers and ‘hard facts’ related to the value generated by sustainability-oriented decisions. The answer lies in methods and tools that are able, already in a preliminary design stage, to highlight how a sustainable design choice can create value for customers and stakeholders, generating market success in the long term. The paper objective is to propose a framework where Sustainable Product Development (SPD) and Value Driven Design (VDD) can be integrated to realize a model-driven approach to support early stage design decisions. Also, the paper discusses how methods and tools for Model-Based Decision Support (MBDS) (e.g., response surface methodology) can be used to increase the computational efficiency of sustainability- and value-based analysis of design concepts. The paper proposes a range of activities to guide a model-based evaluation of sustainability consequences in design, showing also that capabilities already exist for combining research efforts into a multi disciplinary decision making environment.