6.3 Suspended Ceiling Design Process - Bilkent University

collaboration among the designers and presents a more concurrent
process.
In the partitioned matrix, except a few changes in the sequence of
parameters, the order of parameter decisions almost remained the
same, while there are large cycles. This implies that those cycles are
inevitable in the process. The partitioned DSM helps in identifying the
information cycles which are inevitable in the process due to the
couplings.
6.5.2 Observations on Suspended Ceiling Assembly
Design
Unlike the system level design which is a truly interdisciplinary
endeavor, the assembly level design is in the domain of a single design
professional: the architect. This task involves selecting the suspended
ceiling members (usually from a pre-defined list of available options)
and configuring a system accordingly. Thus, suspended ceiling design
at the assembly level is not problematic. The partitioned DSM contains
only two very small cycles and no critical elements. Since there are no
strict constraints on the order of decisions (there are no two-way
dependencies), many optional paths may be taken in the design.
Experimenting with “what-if” scenarios using the “Manual Sequence”
tool of the DSM software helps in identifying those paths.
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