Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation in the Public Works ...

Sharing Experience Between Manufacturing and Construction
sub-tasks communicate with each other during problem solving. If no problem-solving
knowledge is shared between sub-tasks during the formation of their respective solutions, and
sub-solutions are only pieced together at their result level, it is considered an interfaced approach.
On the other hand, if problem-solving knowledge is communicated among sub-tasks before
arriving at their respective solutions, it is an integrated approach. Essentially, interfacing can
occur at the result level via data communication, but integration must occur at the task level
through knowledge exchange. Based on this definition, traditional product development is an
interfacing approach (and hence DPT is sufficient) while concurrent product development calls
for an integrated approach (and hence requires KPT).
KPT utilizes modem computers' extensive processing power to process knowledge directly,
thereby elevating the current focus of automation in industry from data to knowledge. KPT
consists of five basic knowledge processing operations, namely Knowledge Acquisition,
Knowledge Representation, Knowledge Integration, Knowledge Coordination, Knowledge
Utilization. The two KPT operations which have not been widely recognized in traditional
approaches (e.g., expert systems) are knowledge integration and knowledge coordination, both
of which are important in concurrent engineering. Existing techniques for knowledge acquisition,
representation, and utilization, although widely recognized as important aspects in traditional
approaches, are not sufficient and are being extended in KPT research.
6.2 The Impact of KPT on Concurrent Engineering
Generally speaking, KPT offers the following two fundamental advantages over DPT as a basis
for developing computer tools to support concurrent engineering (23):
• Because knowledge contains high-level meanings and justifications of data, processing
knowledge directly can expand the types of intelligence that can be explicitly modeled on
computers. This expanded set of intelligence includes know-how knowledge which specifies how
domain knowledge can (and should) be used to solve a particular problem, know-why knowledge
which explains why a know-how knowledge is being applied in a particular way, and know-what
knowledge which indicates what are important aspects to focus on (or adapt to) at a particular
stage of decision making. To be effective, concurrent engineering tools must be able to capture
these three types of product development intelligence.
* Because knowledge captures the concepts, usages, and structures of data, KPT is useful
for integration of complex engineering and software systems. For software integration, KPT
provides opportunities of integrating computer tools, such as CAD packages and data bases,
which are built upon DPT. In fact, KPT can serve as an integration platform upon which
knowledge-, geometry-, and data-intensive tools can be unified and coordinated. As previously
explained, such an integrated computer environment that can process engineering knowledge,
geometry, and data seamlessly is very critical to the realization of concurrent engineering.
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