A Simulation Approach to Project Planning

Concurrent Engineering (CE) has gained immense popularity around the world as a means of accelerating product development, reducing cost and increasing quality. CE achieves this by overlapping tasks and executing them in parallel. Different and independent surveys conclude that significant benefits can be achieved as a result of implementing CE. However, CE radically effects the way projects are managed due to the complexities and uncertainty caused by executing tasks with incomplete information. This requires careful planning and organisation prior to implementing CE projects, otherwise delays in project completion and deterioration in project performance may occur due to the uncertainties in the process. Currently there exists a vast amount of literature addressing the organisational aspect of CE such as organisational change and team building, and the technical tools required in CE. Although, the literature suggests that one of the essential elements for successfully implementing CE is careful and detailed project planning, very little attention is devoted to addressing this problem.