Does Narrative Play a Role in Engineering Decision-Making and Design? A Preliminary Study

Abstract This paper presents data from a preliminary study designed to test the hypothesis that narrative is the primary decisionmaking tool employed in engineering design. We also look for evidence that analysis and optimization provide anchor points that drive the narrative forward, even in the presence of unresolvable uncertainties. The data in this paper comes from student engineers who are engaged in an 8-month, NASA-sponsored design competition. We code 46 statements from our interviews, spanning 10 different narrative elements as defined by Fenton-O’Creevy and Tuckett [1]. We find that engineers use multiple narrative elements to develop conviction when reaching action readiness, and that of the 46 coded statements, only 14 corresponded to quantitative analysis in the form of models and calculations. We find that in engineering design the decision-making journey involves a combination of quantitative analysis and qualitative engineering judgment that is evaluated to develop conviction and reach a state of action.