Preparation of Two Books on the Science of Design

Principal Investigator: Frederick P. Brooks, Jr
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Agency Number: CCF-0608665

Abstract
This effort will lead to the production of two books. The first, the "Design of Design", will be essays on the design of complex artifacts to draw out principles and concepts from a variety of design disciplines. Similar in format and style to the author's earlier "the Mythical Man-Month", the content will reflect both the literature on design science, the PI's experience and a detailed log of design decision and rationales, as well as interviews with senior practicing designers in a variety of engineering disciplines. This provides an opportunity to reflect upon current practice and synthesize the findings from a number of domains and supports the premise that there is a fundamental unity in design, architectures and design processes across a wide range of fields. The second book is two detailed design studies. Detailed logs of the two case studies will also be published and made machine searchable for use by the design community. The logs of architecture design issues, alternatives, decision and rational provide a particularly useful design medium for teaching, since the considerations and decisions are broadly accessible. Providing annotated detailed case studies will be a contribution to the Science of Design literature and anticipated broad impact across all the designing disciplines, influencing both practice and education