Analyzing concepts

Analyze a concept in terms of target costs, compliance, requirements fulfilled, or similar parameters to make informed decisions on the concept’s lifecycle.

Roll-up a concept

To compare target and actual metrics of units in a concept structure, click the Roll-up button. This action calculates the variance in the actual and target metric attributes across all units of the concept structure, as applicable.
In the Metrics view, a warning icon next to concept structure units indicates unfavorable variance values.

A roll-up calculates the following metrics:

  • Cost, weight, and power consumption

  • Compliance

  • Fulfilled requirements

  • Status

  • Concept score

Cost, weight, and power consumption

Compliance

Fulfilled requirements

Status

Score

Aggregates of the total values of linked items, concept components, and embedded concepts, up to the top-level concept.

Total cost calculations:

  • Total cost of an individual item or concept component = Material Cost + Non-Material Cost

  • Total cost of a concept component assembly = Non-Material Cost + Aggregate of (Total cost of each item or component * Respective Quantities per Assembly)

  • Total Weight of a concept component assembly = Aggregate of (Actual Weights of each linked item, concept component, and embedded concept * Respective Quantities)

  • Total Power Consumption of a concept component assembly = Aggregate of (Actual Power Consumption of each linked item, concept component and embedded concept * Respective Quantities)

The compliance status of a concept component or a linked item defines the compliance of the next higher-level component.

The compliance statuses of items are read directly from PLM. They are mapped as either compliant or noncompliant items in CDM, depending on the completeness of information available. A noncompliant item or component renders its higher-level component noncompliant also.

The number of assigned and fulfilled requirements per individual components in the concept structure, as applicable.

This analysis aids in fine-tuning the accuracy of a proposed concept design in meeting user needs.

The statuses of individual components and linked items in a concept assembly decide the aggregated status of the higher-level component, upto the top-level concept.

You can link items from PLM in the concept structure if they are in either conceptual, preliminary, or production stage.

Assessment of solution alternatives against design objectives.

Concept-level scores calculation:

  • the number of items in the structure, compared to concept components. Reuse of items scores extra points.

  • the number of items with scores higher than the target value 85. A high percentage of high-scoring items in the structure raises the concept score.

  • the number of items missing data such as compliance status, lead time, number of manufacturers, or preferred status. Complete items rank high.

View metrics in a Spider Chart

Use a spider chart to view and compare aggregated metrics across multiple solution alternatives, in an graphical or tabular form.

Metrics are normalized - the chart calculates the relative deviation of each actual value from the target value, and displays positive or negative deviations from the target value.

The Table view summarizes the data of the Spider Chart (calculated variance and metrics per solution alternatives) for quick reference.