In this paper the methodology for identifying the most important secondary
problems in Engineering Systems (ES) at their Transition-From-First-To-
Second Stage of evolution is described1.
Normally, at this stage a laboratory prototype of an ES works just fine, with
no obvious undesirable effects, while hidden undesirable effects have not yet
manifest themselves. So, the main goal of the proposed methodology is to
quickly and efficiently reveal critical secondary problems relating to the ES
functionality in order to solve them rapidly and commercialize the ES as
soon as possible. Broader objectives, e.g. identifying undesirable effects and
problems that an ES may create at other stages of its life cycle, are beyond
the scope of this methodology.
The proposed methodology is based on the modified Failure Anticipation
Analysis2 (FAA) methodology, which is part of the methodology for
Comprehensive Analysis of an ES at the transitional stage of its evolution
that was disclosed by the author in his thesis [4].
In contrast to the original FAA methodology [1-3], the proposed specialized
methodology dramatically reduces the time required for analysis and
guarantees that all critical undesirable effects and related secondary
problems will be identified. These features make the proposed methodology
applicable for use even in express-projects
3. This is achieved by focusing the
methodology on revealing only the undesirable effects that are related to the
ES’s Main Function (MF) and by adapting the depth of analysis depending
on how serious the analyzed undesirable effect is.
