Agile Manufacturing:
Forging New
Frontiers
Paul T. Kidd
1994, ISBN 0-201-63163-6
7.1 Introduction
In this Chapter we will look closely at
the nature of design processes. How we go about designing an
Agile Manufacturing Enterprise and the associated manufacturing
systems and computer-based technologies, is fundamentally important,
primarily for two reasons. First, certain assumptions are built
into our systems design processes, and when we design systems
and technologies we do so based on a set of norms and value judgements.
Second, to achieve Agile Manufacturing, we need agile design
processes. All of our traditional design processes are however,
far from agile. They are, in fact, extremely ridged, awkward
and sluggish. They commit us to following actions, often based
on a poor understanding of the problems that we are trying to
solve, and they keep our attention focused on these actions,
even when the reasons why we are pursuing them have altered and
even disappeared altogether. |