A reverse engineering-based model for innovation process in complex product systems: Multiple case studies in the aviation industry

Reverse engineering is an activity of innovation based on knowledge and data acquired from the earlier design, which plays a significant role in complex product systems (CoPS) industries. However, no study has yet been conducted on the innovation process based on reverse engineering in these industries. This paper provides a model for this process and addresses hidden and unknown interactions between reverse and forward engineering. We argue how reverse engineering in CoPS projects can lead to the designing and manufacturing of an innovative product. First of all, an analytical framework was developed by reviewing extant literature on reverse engineering and innovation process models. Then, a ten-step process model was developed by a chronological multiple case study of three CoPS in the aviation industry and analyzing reverse and forward engineering in cross-case comparison. The stages of the model included; data evaluation and verification, technical data generation, design verification, design implementation, concept, development, production, utilization, support, and retirement. This model is a complex system of dynamic, iterative, concurrent, recursive, and time-interdependent processes. It is capable of providing a systematic, pragmatic, and detailed framework for better management of the innovation process in CoPS as designed and produced based on reverse engineering.