DSM Software

DeMAID/GA (Design Manager's Aid for Intelligent Decomposition with a Genetic Algorithm) is a knowledge-based software tool for ordering the sequence of design processes and identifying a possible multilevel structure for a design cycle. DeMAID displays the processes in a Design Structure Matrix format. A genetic algorithm (GA) capability was added to the latest version of DeMAID, called DeMAID/GA, to examine a large number of orderings of processes in an iterative subcycle and optimize the ordering based on cost, time, and iteration requirements. DeMAID/GA is written in C and is available on Mac and UNIX computers. It is a menu driven program with interfaces to a knowledge base.

This program allows you to enter what decisions you perceive will be needed, and then by entering marks in a matrix show which decisions depend upon information generated by which other decisions. Then the program organizes the matrix to show you which decisions can be made in parallel, which should be made in sequence, and which are tied up into blocks that require you to begin by making some guesses. (This is called 'partitioning'). Having found the sets of decisions that are tied into blocks, you can then play with various places you might use guesses and see the consequences. The program will even suggest where you might introduce a few well-placed guesses to yield a fairly good plan to start. It cannot give you an optimum plan because it does not know as much about what the decisions involve as you do. But you can play with it until you are satisfied. Finding where to break dependencies by introducing guesses is called 'tearing'. The program is designed so just clicking on the tool bar icons and using a few shortcut keys can do most of what you would want to do initially. Menus can be used later to create more elaborate options; and more elaborate shortcut keys can be used to do things more quickly.

Acclaro Designer is team collaboration software solution permitting the construction and analysis of multi-level hierarchical design matrices.  Acclaro Designer adopts the axiomatic design approach to the construction of conceptual and functionally decomposed designs.  Project planning exports to Microsoft Project.  Acclaro Sync software supports the synchronization of Microsoft Project schedules to changing design matrices.

PlanWeaver is offered as a web-based software application (though it can also be delivered as a stand alone application where required). It has been created to help teams to optimise complex, often multi-disciplinary processes. It encourages efficiency, maximizes the opportunities for innovation, and reduces time to market, and can be applied on any complex process from designing a building or other asset, to developing a new aero engine.

Employing the DSM technique, PlanWeaver identifies where iteration is likely to be present within a process and provides methodologies for controlling, reducing or eliminating it depending on the needs of the overall project. In addition to its primary purpose as a planning and decision-making system tool, PlanWeaver is also a risk identification and change management tool. By flagging key dates to team members, the system prompts the timely production of critical information, giving the team a greater understanding of the process and encouraging inter-departmental collaboration.

Lattix Solutions enable enterprises to define and manage the architecture of their large software applications.  Based on the work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on complex systems, Lattix has created a breakthrough technology.  Design Rules allow companies to formalize and automatically enforce the overall architecture of a software system or software product line. This permits the structure of the software to be visible to managers, architects, developers, and QA, providing the basis for communication and understanding the impact of frequent changes.  Lattix solutions empower software development organizations to manage complexity and maintain high quality while reducing application development cycles and maintenance costs.

Lattix offers its Solutions as software products and services to enable and assist customers in evaluating and implementing the new Dependency Model approach for managing software architecture.  For more information, please contact Frank Waldman ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 781.572.1013).

Headway Software offers Structure 101, an application that enables code developers to visualize and understand the structure of their code base.

With Structure101 you will be able to:
1. Control Structural Complexity. Software is complex stuff - but there are limits. There is no need to put more than so much complexity into any method, class or package - ever. Set complexity limits at each level and Structure101 will measure the degree to which any item exceeds the limits and relate this to the amount of code impacted so that you can prioritize any repair work. And immediately discover the locations of productivity-killing package dependency cycles and analyze how best to break them.
2. Control Architecture. See exactly how your high-level components depend on each other and why. Find out immediately when your architecture is accidentally changed by code-level changes at the coal-face, and how to best reverse out the rogue dependencies.

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