Managing design knowledge: active document system

Sharing design knowledge within a company is critical to retain market competitiveness, especially when the company develops a family of products. The goal of this study is to develop a Web-based design knowledge management system, named Active Document System, that helps designers retrieve critical design information promptly. In order to manage unstructured knowledge such as design know-how systematically, Active Document System classifies design knowledge in accordance with product functions as well as product structures. This paper explains Active Document System and a method to deploy the product function. The concept is implemented and applied to the management of design knowledge for the refrigerator design process.