Specifying components in a product platform and family architecture to support product varieties can be a challenging task for companies. Especially when various viewpoints have to be considered, which include product variety, materials, manufacturing complexity, assembly complexity, average component count commonality, assembly sequence, and late point differentiation. In order to identify or select a product platform and family configuration, evaluation of alternative configurations need to be performed. In this paper several product family evaluation criteria are presented for configuration evaluation. The application of product family configuration evaluation and a design approach is demonstrated using a Computer Mouse family.
Software Product Family Evaluation