6.3 Suspended Ceiling Design Process - Bilkent University

iteration” as intentional and “dysfunctional iteration” as unintentional.
Ballard (2000) proposes a distinction between positive vs. negative
iteration in design. He claims that positive iteration is essential for
generating value in design processes. However, not all iteration generates
value. Negative iteration that can be eliminated without value loss is waste.
Ballard explains that research should be made on reducing negative
iteration and on generating value through promoting positive iteration.
Although iteration management is very important for conducting efficient
processes, it is a difficult task. Browning (1998) explains that the first step
towards reducing design cycle time lies in minimizing unintentional
iterations. This necessitates ensuring that the right information is available
at the right time in the process. The next step towards accelerating the
design cycle involves two basic options for managing intentional iterations:
1. Faster iterations.
2. Fewer iterations.
Faster iterations can be achieved by improved coordination e.g. CAD
systems that accelerate individual activities, improved intragroup
coordination for teams assigned to individual activities, increased co-
location of those executing highly coupled activities, concurrent
engineering, integration of engineering analysis tools used for different
purposes, and removal of extraneous activities from the process. Previous
studies by Eisenhardt and Tabrizi, and Gebala and Eppinger (both qtd. in
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