INVESTIGATING THE STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION OF ENGINEERING LOGBOOKS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE REUSE
DS 48: Proceedings DESIGN 2008, the 10th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Year: 2008
Editor: Marjanovic D., Storga M., Pavkovic N., Bojcetic N.
Author: McAlpine, H.; Hicks, B. J.; Culley, S. J.
Section: Design knowledge and collaboration
Page(s): 841 - 848
Abstract
Engineering logbooks are an important but often overlooked source of design information and knowledge, partly because their structure and organisation makes re-use difficult or impossible. To address this, a methodology for characterising the structure of logbook entries is discussed and the results of its application to a set of logbooks is presented. These findings are used to inform the development of a strategy for improving the recording and subsequent re-use of logbook information. The strategy is discussed in detail and examples are given of how the strategy facilitates more effective management of logbook information, for both the individual and the wider organisation.
Keywords: logbooks, information management, information structure