ECBS in concept analysis and organization transformation

This paper models the concept analysis of a new, freight locomotive product as an example of the critical importance of ECBS to modern product development and organization evolution. It combines the producer business strategy with the purchasing railroad needs and the needs of the railroad customers. Modeling techniques are shown for requirements elicitation. The results are tied to technical engineering effectiveness measures using both analytical techniques and the less formal methods common to TQM and Six Sigma approaches. As the example progresses there is an identification and presentation of critical engineering performance calculations and trade-off to establish system level design tied directly to customer perceived value and quality and to business strategy. As the locomotive design changes emerge, concurrent changes to the business structure, organization and motivation factors also emerge. ECBS is critical to both the new engineering designs and to the organizational transformations because the changes are driven technically by control and information science advances and cost reductions.