Personal micro-blogging for workflow support in conceptual design

Abstract:
This contribution reports on how the conceptual chemical process design can benefit from workflow support using tracing and micro-blogging as part of a process design software environment. Micro-blogging allows users to write short messages on what they are doing, feeling or thinking. Micro-blogging is suggested to be integrated into the user interface of a conceptual process design software environment to support the engineer during his/her work. By adding features to the user interface, micro-blogging can informally extend the documentation of the design process beyond what the machine can log by itself. During the development of a new chemical process in the conceptual design phase, the engineer will not only be informed on what the machine logged in earlier design steps but will also be provided with former corresponding messages other engineers manually added to the system during their design activity. The important difference between the commonly known micro-blogging systems and the process design software concept proposed here is that the messages are stored locally on the client and are hence only accessible from within the company but not by the public. Another difference is the analysis, filtering and reuse of former messages. This way, methods and tools used during the conceptual design of a chemical plant are acquired from the engineers who use micro-blogging as an extension of a design software system. An exploratory case study has been carried out to show how corresponding blog-entries can be retrieved and what benefits can be achieved for the design engineering team using such a system. A larger case study with industrial users is in progress to help assess practical benefits and the still existing potential for improvement of the concept and its implementation.

Keywords:
workflow support, conceptual design, micro-blogging, shortcut-tools

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