Innovative Organisations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Innovative Organisations - Research Paper Example Early computer-aided design (CAD) applications were direct replacements for manual drafting activities in the design process. Computing resources were derived from mainframes. There was little increase in initial drawing production efficiency, but drawing quality and clarity were greatly improved (Golish et al. 2003). The introduction of the remote workstation provided a technology platform to advance the CAE design process. Architect-engineering design services are project driven businesses. The typical project is a custom designed facility to satisfy the specific requirements of a single customer. Revenue is generated on a project-by-project basis (Kerzner 2002). It is estimated that over 35,000 firms are providers of A-E design services (Golish et al. 2003). Increased use of CAE technology will alter key financial measures used in the industry. Fig. 1 shows projected trends in TLM as CAE technology use increases (Schriener 1996). Productivity will increase and cycle time will decrease. Direct hours to produce projects will decrease and overhead costs will increase while overall design cost will decline. This cost allocation trend is consistent with that experienced in the manufacturing sector as computer-aided engineering and production methods evolved (Noori 2001). The objective of A-E design services is to interpret customer requirements for facilities and infrastructure, including performance expectations, cost, and schedule.