ABSTRACT
Complexity is perceived as the number of interacting elements within a system, the internal structure of these elements, and the number and nature of interdependencies among them (Taylor et al., 2009). At the design level, complexity is related to the degrees of cohesion and coupling within and between a system’s elements (Stevens et al., 1974). Design-level cohesion and coupling in a system can be analyzed using a design structure matrix or DSM (Eppinger, 1991; Steward, 1981). A DSM is also known as a dependency structure matrix, dependency source matrix, and a dependency structure method.
