6.3 Suspended Ceiling Design Process - Bilkent University

process integration. Therefore, in a parameter-based DSM, parameters
can be categorized according to the activities that produce them.
Parameters belonging to different activities can be shown in different colors
in a DSM. In this way, the initial matrix can be used as a process map,
which shows the detailed flows between the activities.
5.3.3.3 Classification According to Information Ownership
An “owner” of a parameter is a design professional who produces a value
for that parameter during the process. This ownership definition refers to
“information ownership” rather than “authority ownership.” The latter one
means having an authority to make a decision on the final value of a
parameter and is widely used in project management applications.
However, the information ownership definition proposed in this dissertation
has a broader scope including verification processes. Therefore, a
parameter may have more than one owner in the model. In the following
case studies, the owners of the parameters are captured and displayed in
the information database (See Chapters 6 and 7).
5.3.3.4 Classification According to Information Content
Parameters are often addressed in design literature with reference to the
requirements that they are expected to satisfy. For example, a recent but
widely recognized design theory developed by Suh (1998) specifies that all
designs can be represented in four domains:
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