An eigenvalue based approach for assessing the decomposability of interdependent design project tasks

The Concurrent engineering process is characterized by executing a large number of interdependent project tasks. One effective way of managing such tasks is to decompose them into groups. However, not all tasks are decomposable. Without the need to apply a decomposition method, this paper describes a simple, quantitative approach to test whether an underlying pattern of relationships exists between interdependent project tasks, such that they may be rearranged into groups. In addition, a grouping efficiency index is introduced to predict how good the best possible decomposition is. The proposed approach and the grouping index are applied to simple hypothetical projects and a sample project adapted from the literature. Both the approach and the grouping index are proved to be powerful yet very easy to use.