Modularity in the Design of Complex Engineering Systems

Keywords

modularity, industry structure, design architecture

Abstract

In the last decade, the concept of modularity has caught the attention of engineers, management researchers and corporate strategists in a number of industries. When a product or process is “modularized,” the elements of its design are split up and assigned to modules according to a formal architecture or plan. From an engineering perspective, a modularization generally has three purposes: to make complexity manageable, to enable parallel work, and to accommodate future uncertainty.

Original Publication Citation

"""Modularity in the Design of Complex Engineering Systems"" (2006). In Complex Engineered Systems: Science Meets Technology, edited by Ali Minai, Dan Braha and Yaneer Bar Yam. New England Complex Systems Institute Series on Complexity. N.Y.: Springer-Verlag. (With C.Y. Baldwin)"

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2006

Publisher

Harvard Business School

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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