Thesis

Time-dependent bipartite social networks (TDBSNs) in naval ship design : enhancing process efficiency and reducing rework

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2025
Thesis identifier
  • T17345
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201985566
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Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • The design of naval vessels is an intricate process that depends substantially on human expertise and judgment. The interplay between complexity and human involvement affects design outcomes in terms of delivery time, cost, and quality. A critical challenge in design chains is the emergence of rework tasks, whether planned or unplanned, which address errors from earlier stages or prevent potential non-conformances (NCRs) based on existing data. Rework, defined as unnecessary effort of redoing incorrectly implemented processes, manifests as either design-induced or construction rework. This research introduces a novel representation of the naval design process using a bipartite dynamic social network. The critical role of human interaction in design necessitates a formal representation capturing both technical and social dimensions. The bipartite social network model explicitly maps relationships between design tasks and the individuals performing them, while its dual-layer structure enables analysis of how human expertise and collaboration patterns influence task execution. Given the timeframe and complexity of naval ship design, the continuous transition of participating individuals and design activities naturally leads to adopting a time-dependent graph (TDG) for process representation. The research tracks the evolution of network metrics, including centrality, modularity, and clustering coefficients, to analyze the design process dynamics. This thesis comprises five chapters: an introduction to social networks and design rework (Chapter 1), model development and testing (Chapter 2), application to three industrial case studies proposed by the industrial supervisor (Chapter 3), network visualization options (Chapter 4), and future modeling directions focusing on rework aspects (Chapter 5). Through this novel approach, the research provides designers and design supervisors with a comprehensive framework for understanding and managing the complex interactions between human factors and technical tasks in naval design. The temporal analysis of network metrics offers valuable insights into the nature of the design process and the criticality of specific tasks and individuals, enabling more effective management of design workflows and rework scenarios.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Kaklis, Panagiotis
Resource Type
Note
  • This thesis was previously held under moratorium from 28th May 2025 until 28th May 2026.
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