Adapting the IFM Framework to Functional Approaches Across Disciplines

Conceptual design is considered one of the most demanding design tasks requiring a joint effort of the involved designers, particularly in interdisciplinary design. The IFM framework intends to support interdisciplinary collaboration of designers, by linking the different functional modelling perspectives, which are prominent in the different disciplines. The presented analysis aims to answer the question, which particular adaptations are required, in order to enable and improve the application of the IFM framework across disciplines. The paper presents a comparison of the framework with established functional approaches proposed in literature. It is shown, in which ways the specific contents addressed in the individual steps of the reviewed functional approaches can be mapped onto corresponding views in the IFM framework. The findings suggest that the IFM framework is interoperable with the reviewed functional approaches without necessitating fundamental changes. Furthermore, specific potentials for the improvement of its applicability across disciplines are derived. Finally, the paper discusses specific adaptations of the IFM framework, in order to improve its applicability.