Lessons learned from one-week concurrent engineering study approach

The present paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the one-week Concurrent Engineering (CE) study approach applied currently in the Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF) at DLR which has been operating since early 2009. Up to now, ca. 20 condensed studies have been performed at the DLR CEF. This paper compares this approach to the more stretched process, applied e. g. at ESA ESTEC´s Concurrent Design Facility (CDF). The investigation takes into account the different space systems to be designed, the goals of the studies and the involved personnel, including both internal and external team members. In summary, this paper describes the last three years of CE at DLR, focussing on the mainly applied approach within different feasibility and preliminary design studies.