Development of a model describing the characteristics and effects of modular product structures for the evaluation of methodical approaches

模块化产品结构的目标是以相同的质量和可管理的风险减少内部产品和工艺的多样性，以节省成本和时间，同时保持市场上的外部多样性。目前存在各种方法，这些方法强化了模块化的特定方面，例如跨产品世代的共性，或一般的模块化。同时，对模块化的各种效应进行了研究和描述。然而，模块化产品结构之间的相互作用及其对产品开发过程的影响的研究和呈现还没有出现在研究中。在过去两年中，在DFG项目的第一阶段，已经成功地开发了这种通用影响模型。它将产品结构的模块化划分为产品的属性和特征，并将它们与产品生命阶段的影响相结合。这是本研究项目的主题。为了通过应用现有的模块化方法在产品生命阶段实现有针对性的效果，必须了解哪些方法可以触发哪些效果。本研究项目的目的是系统地分析现有的模块化方法，以便将它们与第一阶段调查的影响模型联系起来。这可以导致一个全面的、通用的模型，该模型提供了新的观点，哪些模块化方法正在影响产品生命阶段，哪些经济目标可以具体改进。由此，可以对模块化方法的应用得出全面的见解，可以使用这个通用模型来具体开发和评估新的方法。在影响尚未受到具体方法影响的地方，还可以进一步找出差距。为了实现这些目标，项目第一部分的现有模型在广泛的研究中得到验证，然后最终敲定。这项研究已经在第一个项目中展开。在此基础上，重点研究了现有的模块化设计方法，并分析了它们在产品族模块化设计中的方法步骤。然后，根据已有方法的步骤，对模块化产品结构的性质和特点进行了赋值，并在所建立的模型基础上建立了方法的使用、模块化产品结构与经济指标之间的关系。该项目的进一步发展模式将在模块化产品结构领域的研究界国际讲习班上进行讨论，并由外部观点加以验证。

The goal of modular product structuring is to reduce the internal product and process variety by same quality and manageable risk, in order to save costs and time while maintaining the external variety on the market.A variety of methods is present in the state of research, which strengthen specific aspects of modularity, e.g. cross-product generational commonality, or modularity in general. At the same time, various effects of modularization have been investigated and described. However, the study and presentation of the interplay between modular product structures and their effects on the product development process have not yet been present in research. Such a generic impact model has been successfully developed in the last two years during the first phase of the DFG project. It divides modularity of a product structure into its properties and characteristics and combines them with its effects in the product life phases. The continuation is subject of the present research project. In order to achieve targeted effects in the product life phases by applying existing methods of modularization, the knowledge must be available as to which methods can trigger which effects. A classification does not exist to provide a specific mapping of methods to its achievements in the product development process.The aim of this research project is therefore to systematically analyse existing methods of modularization to link them with the impact model investigated in the first phase. This can lead to a comprehensive, generic model that provides new views which methods of modularization are influencing the product life phases, and which economic targets can be specifically improved. From this, comprehensive insights can be derived about the application of modularization methods, new methods can be specifically developed and evaluated using this generic model. Gaps can be furthermore identified where impacts are not yet influenced by specific methods. This results in a further need for research.In order to achieve these goals, the existing model of the first part of the project is validated in a broad-based study and then finalized. The study has already been developed in the first project. Based on this, the existing modularization methods are researched in the main part of the research project and analysed on their method steps for the modular design of product families. Subsequently, the existing methods are assigned to the properties and characteristics of modular product structures by means of their method steps, and the relationships between the use of the method, the modular product structure and the economic targets on the basis of the developed model are established. The further developed model of the project is to be discussed within an international workshop of the research community in the field of modular product structures and validated by external perspectives.