A Role-Based Design Performance Measurement Matrix for Improving Design Performance

This paper describes an investigation of a role-based Design Performance Measurement (DPM) matrix that incorporates design performance measures with three design team role-players: the top design manager, the middle design manager and the designer. Based on the author’s previous research, a DPM matrix combining 25 criteria was developed to support DPM operation during a design process. A questionnaire survey was conducted to establish if different design team members would have diverse perceptions of the importance of 25 DPM criteria for the three types of design team roles. As a result, a role-based DPM matrix was developed, which demonstrated that the ‘clear team goal’ criterion should be regarded as the most important measure for the assessment of top design manager; the ‘problem solving’, ‘delivering to the brief’, ‘managing mistakes’, ‘build high morale within team’, ‘monitor team performance’ and ‘define design responsibilities’ for the middle design manager; the ‘high quality product design’ and ‘adding perceived value to the design work’ for the designer. Furthermore, a role-based DPM matrix application was developed that enables the rolebased DPM matrix to be flexibly implemented in different design projects by matching a project’s features from three perspective: a design project strategies-based perspective, a stage-based design objectives perspective, and from a design staff rolebased perspective.