Innovative Production Machines and Systems Conference

Managing the information associated with a large number of production variables is a complex task. So far, little is available to assist production managers to manage and visualise the information about the variables in such a way that this information could be used to support strategic decision making. This research has sought to address this problem by developing a practical tool that offers a database, and visualisation function, which shows the inter-relationships of the production variables. The tool was developed based on the Connectance Concept. The salient features of the tool are its ability to: a) enable managers to visualise the ‘implicit understanding’ of the variables cause-effect elationships, b) enable managers to have their knowledge brought into the open and their assumptions challenged, c) see how the decision made on one variable will effect other functional departments in a firm, and d) allow information to be passed, assessed and quantified, so that the ideas and beliefs contained within the model can be altered or modified at will. This paper describes the structure of the tool and its features. The results of application of the tool in companies are briefly presented. This paper concludes by discussing the implications of this research for managers, and identifying directions for future research.