Frequently Asked Questions
What is the objective of Geeglee?
Geeglee aims at helping experts to explore any idea, any weak signal they would like to study in order to find the best tradeoffs.
What is Geeglee?
Geeglee is a "software value chain" made of two softwares:
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Geeglee Engineering Patterns (GEP), to capitalize the "way of thinking" of disciplines' experts
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Geeglee Engineering Intelligence (GEI), to navigate through the "space of feasible solutions" answering to need(s)
Does Geeglee mean the end of engineering work?
Of course not! Geeglee brings expertise to a next level.
By making "automatic" the exploration of design spaces based on the modeling of the know-how, Geeglee enables experts not to repeat the same task over and over: 100% of engineers have the feeling to re-engineering their system because needs or constraints change along the projects' life.
As soon as they capitalize their know-how, engineers benefit from a deeper understanding of their system.
Is Geeglee an A.I. software?
Geeglee is NOT an Artificial Intelligence software.
A.I. provide good results in a variety of fields but remains extremely limited when it comes to R&D concerns:
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A.I. is valuable only when you have data to learn from. In most R&D projects, by definition, data is not available.
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No engineer would accept to fly on a plane engineered by an A.I.. Why? Because, to date, the A.I. decision process is most often not transparent.
The above graph, representing a thinking pattern created with Geeglee, looks like an Neural Network graph. But it's not. This graph is prestressed to avoid non-physical connections. Connections between every neurone is defined based on experts' know-how.
Is it difficult to use Geeglee?
Geeglee Engineering Intelligence (GEI) is like a Business Intelligence tool dedicated to engineering, with increased performance. Thank to its widgets, it is very easy to use while playing scenario: https://youtu.be/MXNQxjOPtII
Geeglee Engineering Pattern (GEP) has been engineered to be as simple as Excel! It's not much more difficult to use it. Defining a pattern is, as close as, to set Excel files for your problem solving. Moreover, Geeglee's framework leads you to respect a Systems Engineering approach.
Is there any training available for Geeglee?
Yes, you can read more about the training here.
How to achieve success with such a tool-aided method?
Geeglee is not a magic tool: it makes the most of your experts' know-how through their collaboration. Without experts' knowledge, Geeglee CANNOT give you any profit.
Is Geeglee a MDO software?
Geeglee is not a Multi-Disciplinary Optimization software. Geeglee completes the "detailed design" software value chain (where MDO tools and PLM operates) by providing an early tool to explore the "conceptual design" phase.
Can Geeglee be useful in Detailed Design?
Yes, if you have difficulties while engineering design your system, Geeglee can provide you a fast step back to understand what must be changed in order to reach the expected performance.
Why is architecting so important?
It is commonly accepted that 90% of design problems occur during the "detailed design" phase while less than 10% of levers remain available (project is already committed to one architecture).
At the "conceptual design" phase, teams consider less than 10% of expected performance (due to a lack of software to cover much more complex performance) which leads to discover less than 10% of design problems. That could easily be solved before choosing an architecture.
Neglecting the choice of an architecture (and their exploration) leads to reach a glass ceiling that no MDO softwares could help you break.
Considering that MDO tools provide optimisation capacity, it's clear that selecting a better architecture will lead to an easier performance optimum.
Can Geeglee provide me with the best platform (product line)?
Thanks to the fact that Geeglee Engineering Patterns covers both "problem setting" and "problem solving", Geeglee is able to explore several needs.
Geeglee, then, use proprietary platforming algorithms to find the platform able to provide the best compliance regarding several (or a variable) needs.
Has Geeglee proprietary algorithms?
Geeglee contains patterns as well as dedicated engineering algorithms. For example:
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Our "Should Perform" algorithm provides the analysis of engineering overquality. Based on our experience, 0% of overquality is IMPOSSIBLE; but some product contain 60% of overquality that can be optimized to reduce cost and mass for instance.
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Our "Cost of requirements" algorithm provides feedback on the cost of a requirement or a specification (based on our experience, relaxing some constraints by 3% can reduce system cost by 10%!)
Can Geeglee help me to manage requirements breakdown?
(and moreover specifications to subcontractors)?
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Geeglee is particularly useful when allocating requirements. We are still asking ourself: "what share should I allocate to a particular subsystem?". It's still difficult to understand the impact of such decision. "If I share a bit more to a subsystem does it change the solution I could have?".
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Geeglee leads to manage such complexe allocations in one equation. Geeglee will then automatically studied all the potential combinaisons to find the best allocation.
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The definition of targets for subcontractors (also call specifications) is realized the same way.
What are the steps to deploy Geeglee?
Usually, our new client starts with a POC (Proof-of-Concept). With that objective, it is better to choose a real project, to create value for the company at the same time. Geeglee requires, at the beginning, an investment to formalize patterns of thinking.
To release time constraints on disciplines' expert, our consulting partner animate workshops and provide consultants to set the patterns. When the first version of patterns is configured into Geeglee, disciplines' expert are trained and appropriate models.
What is a good subject to deploy Geeglee?
A good subject to deploy Geeglee must contain at least two of the following elements:
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Several disciplines involve in the project,
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Diversity in potential solutions either functional or physical (Hardware or software),
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Performance tradeoffs to manage.
Can we include innovation into Geeglee?
Innovation, into Geeglee, can take two forms:
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Technological innovation (brick) is integrated as an alternative to a component(s),
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Architecture innovation (new break-down: functional, requirements or product) are integrated as a new way of thinking for the System of Interest.
How to use Geeglee when we never start from a blank sheet?
When we have a reference that we make evolve gradually, it is necessary to model it to study, with Geeglee, evolution opportunities as we could do from a blank sheet.
How long it takes to deploy Geeglee on a project?
As all MBSE methods, the spend time depend of the value you expect from the model. To give only two feedbacks:
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it's about 1 week of modeling for an electrical parking brake
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it's about 3 months of modeling for a satellite platform.
Why a software suite instead of a single software (GEP vs GEI)?
Geeglee Engineering Pattern is made to capitalize experts' know-how. Its usage is limited to experts to avoid untimely changes.
Geeglee Engineering Intelligence is made for a larger usage:
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Experts can use it to validate their model
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Tender team can use it as a "Geeglee for Tender" to provide a competitive advantage.
Why a web version of Geeglee Engineering Pattern?
Geeglee Engineering Pattern has been developed as a web app to help each discipline keep their hands on their own knowledge and p a collaborative approach.
GEP can be launched on all modern web browsers.
Can we customize anything in Geeglee Engineering Intelligence?
Yes, you can create as many datapages as you want in order to create your own analysis (system level, disciplines' point-of-views, cost breakdown,...)
If I change a performance in GEP, do I need to change it into GEI?
No. Geeglee Engineering Pattern and Geeglee Engineering Intelligence are connected together.
I have many Microsoft Excel files, can I import them into Geeglee?
Yes, Geeglee Engineering Pattern can import/export Excel files (under some formatting conditions).
Can I plug external codes to Geeglee (Matlab, ...?)
The main limitation while connecting Geeglee to external code is the time needed to run them. When you explore hundred, thousand or more architectures and configurations, a delay of a second can be a stumbling block!
Geeglee has been optimized to run large calculus (internal code), in a very efficient way. Geeglee can naturally embed Python language.
What Geeglee provide more than a mathematical solver?
Geeglee provides two advantages:
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A framework to capitalize know-how and make it reusable. From this framework, everything is automatic.
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An exploration without constraints and barriers (instead of an optimisation solver) leading to obtain the overall tradeoffs.
Can I run Geeglee on my laptop?
Yes! Both Geeglee (GEP & GEI) were designed to work on laptop as well as on servers. Other options are possible, as shown below.
Do I need to have administration rights to install Geeglee?
Geeglee Engineering Intelligence (to navigate through design space) does not require any administration rights.
Geeglee Engineering Pattern (to define pattern of thinking) requires administration rights.
Does Geeglee has any concurrents?
Yes! Here is our concurrent: http://www.targetedconvergence.com