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Management processes deal with the relationship between people, technologies and processes. One of the instruments of this relationship is communication. It providesgreater stability, homogenization and alignment of the interests. [20], [21].

Management processes authors mention the importance of process stabilization andrelated information, worth mentioning: [10], [12], [15], [16], [18], [19], [21].

To [21] upon establishing a standard in the process of managing productdevelopment, is essential to adopt a general model of reference. However, to definethis standard the best and most appropriate practices must be considered. In LeanThinking a standard view is the best way to do something today, if there is changetomorrow, it is analyzed and the standard changed [17]. The processes for thedevelopment of complex systems usually come with an increased difficulty of

viewing and global and simplified understanding. They entail thousands of activities,done by hundreds or even thousands of people, each producing results that enable

other activities to occur. Because of their size, complexity, and uniqueness, large projects (programs) and their processes are difficult to manage [3].

This work recognizes that activities related to project development involvesdifferent levels of management. It is noted that the information flow stabilization andimprovement can facilitate the process and make it more comprehensive. However,overall, each model is an abstraction of reality that provides an exclusive perspectiveon a project. Hence, some participants may begin to ignore such models as

anachronistic once a project starts, basing their decisions on hearsay and intuition [3].Many authors enumerate difficulties and indicated process models to plan and

coordinate work, including process flowcharts, Gantt charts, work breakdownstructures (WBSs), and formal procedures, among them are: [12], [15], [17] and [19].The starting point for any good discussion, meeting, or workshop on process model

should be a shared understanding of what a process model actually is. The need is for a model concept that everybody understands: one that facilitates description anddiscussion. It is needed to start from the same point and talk about the same thing.

The challenge is that the concept must be simple, relevant, and intuitivelyunderstandable, while not oversimplifying the complexities of how the organizationworks [15]. From this premise, [15] proposes a visual model of representation by panels, called "Canvas".

In this regard, this work problematic lies in the lack of stabilization between thoselevels management and the promotion and control of information flow during project

development. This design work proposes identifying these action levels, from projectdevelopment processes (operational) to management levels (strategic). Later, the

visual representation of this proposal is presented.

2 Methods

This work is of applied nature aiming to develop a visual model that organizes

concepts related to design management. According to its research goals, this work isalso classified as exploratory, soughing information in books, articles and papers.Authors like [1], [2], [5], [8], [11], [13], [16], [19] and [21] are used as basis for suchidentification, as well as the ScienceDirect database. At first this work used deductive

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method, producing general data related to its objectives. Therefore this study can becharacterized as a theoretical, systematic review. Later, it assumes a descriptiveapproach organizing and visually representing design action levels structures. For

this, the concepts of such levels and relevant concepts to its relationship wereorganized and represented in a visual model.

3 Managing Design

Design shows a double action aspect. In an operational standpoint, design is limited tothe project, as a specific and under demand task. Under the strategic focus design is

incorporated in the organization business model and implemented at all its levels [8].

Within this vision, design management is inside a larger context, which goesthrough management changes, which evolved from a Taylorist model to an intelligentand flexible organization model that encourages risk taking, autonomy and initiative.This new model, as highlighted by [13], relies on customer-oriented management,management by project and overall quality. This idea can be complemented, sayingthat design management is the "set of business management techniques aimed atmaximizing the lowest possible cost, the competitiveness that the company obtains by

incorporating and using design as an instrument of its business strategy." [9] (p.25). Inthis sense, [7] (p.91) states that "for a long time, the corporate culture was the mainengine of structuring the relationship between theory and practice with the designculture, expressing especially important scientific results through an administrationdiscipline called design management". [13] defines that design as strategicmanagement, when involved in process of the company's strategy formation, starting

from its mission, vision and values, can contribute as it becomes the source for creating new business opportunities. The same author states that design can also act inan integrated way, contributing to the organization´s strategy implementation, withcoordination and control of the production process and results control. [6], states thatdesign the management of design, in an objective manner, is the business side of design. The design covers the management of ongoing processes, business decisionsand strategies that enable innovation, creating effectively designed products, services,communications, brands and environments that improve our quality of life and provide organizational success. The management of design in a deeper level aims to

connect design, innovation, technology, management and customers to providecompetitive advantage through the triple bottom line. Would it be "It is the art and

science of empowering design to enhance collaboration and synergy between“design” and “business” to improve design effectiveness." [6]

Considering design management performance, [2] states that the purpose of designmanagement is to identify and communicate the ways in which design can contributein adding strategic value to the company. [2] also defines the role of the designmanager, as the "responsible for both the coherence and consistency of message

organization design, and for ensuring it is aligned with its business strategy."Assuming the stated, it can be said that design management, among its various

functions and settings, is concerned with the flow and selection of informationrelevant to the operational process of design. This process can seek on its final

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formalizations, for example, product differentiation resulting from a greater emphasison aesthetics, functionality, ergonomics, in countless other possibilities.

4 Design Management Levels

As identified, design management acts on design activities administration. This canoccur on three different levels, strategic, tactical and operational. So, beingincorporated in project development systematics design management can provide a

broader and more inclusive process identifying the different levels of design action, providing better information flow through these levels and enabling their

management.

For [10], “Design management should challenge management’s mental models andmindsets by enabling them to be more explicit in their key assumptions about future.Through a perceptive and continuous way of analyzing the organization and itsenvironment, design management should set the criteria for new concepts of corporatestrategy” [10] (p.30). [10] also provides a stratification of design management levels:

Strategic design management : design management acting at the corporate strategylevel. In this level, design management may be a source of competitive advantage and

catalyst for change organization´s scope and direction. At this level, designmanagement could influence structure, finance and human resources, being involvedin company strategy definition process.

Business or tactical design management : design management being used togenerate concepts and to search for new market opportunities. At this level, designcan be managed as a proficiency to generate unique product concepts, as well as

search for new market opportunities. At this level, design management concern isaligning corporate strategy in new products concepts that meet future market needs.

Operational design management : design management at the project level. At thislevel, design management should focus on the design process. Efficiency andeffectiveness of the design process, managing the people involved (design team) ateach and individual design projects are the main concerns of this level. Designmanagement at this level focus on design process contributions to the business andcorporate level of design management. The author also highlights that this level´sdecision and activities are important for a successful business strategy.

This division on three levels of design management is found in other authors, but[10] also indicates what could be interpreted as a fourth level, an analysis moment

that also configures an opportunity for strategies definitions. [4] (p.68) also proposesa division of design management levels that agrees with [10] stratification, being the

strategic level more corporate oriented, the tactical level more organizational orientedand the operational level more project oriented.

[14] presents a level classification that is based on Michael Porter value chaintheory. For this author, the design levels on an organization are:

Operational Level: design acting on organization´s primary activities. Design isstrategic in this level because can provide differentiation and thus aggregating value.Design at this level is an economic competence.

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Functional Level : design acting on organization´s support activities. Design isstrategic in this level because can coordinate functions, aggregating value focusing on process optimizations. Design at this level is an administrative competence.

Predictive Level : design acting on the creation of a global vision of theorganization value chain. Design is strategic in this level because can anticipate

internal and external environment changes, aggregating value. Design at this level is avital and psychology competence, where management can be understood as a vehicleto promote creativity and originality acting as a creative process management way.

4.1 Design Management Actuation Levels

Considering the design process, its action levels have different characteristics, timesand assignments. From a broader role to a more specific one, these levels where

identified and its descriptions are the following.

Strategic Level

Strategic level definitions are commonly, in an organization, proposed and evaluated by higher hierarchic levels. So, the strategic design level consisted of organization’sforecasts used to achieve its goals, considering available resources and environment.To elaborate a strategic plan, the organization should consider and analyze its sector

context as well as its internal structure, assess strengths, weakness and potentials.Should also provide a series of measures allowing leverage of the capabilities andsmooth fragilities. However, the objective of the strategy for an organization is tokeep it active and competitive in the global market where it operates [5].This can bearticulated through positioning, planning and conceptualization.

Tactical Level

The tactical design level, an intermediate between the strategic (institutional level)

and operational. It consists basically in the translation and interpretations of strategicdecisions into concrete plans. The tactical level (...) is the set of deliberate andsystematic decision-making involving major task in a more limited, shorter, lessextensive areas and lower levels of the hierarchy of organization. The tactical planning is sized to medium-term [5].

[16] shows definitions of design manager, among them the one from Dobbins

defines that “the designer coordinates strategic and tactical actions that are based onthe company's strategic plan. (...) The design captures the policies of senior

management and helps turn them into real products and concepts, enabling itsimplementation.” Therefore, any tactic is a component element of strategy in order to

achieve in practical and short-terms, the desired goal in an organization. Thus design potential of translating and materializing concepts into form, materializes in a practical way what is being proposed. This level is basically consisted of strategicdecisions interpretation and translation into concrete plans and resources using toolsthat support this, such as moodboards and mind maps.

Operational Level

Operational design level is consisted by processes that actually materialize projects.This projects effective realization is sometimes assessed by strategic processes and

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should establish goals. Design management in this context deals with the connectionsof this process, focusing on aligning design with the organization's strategy. Thedesign in its operational level is, according to [13] the whole set of actions that focus

the design project process and communication.

Analytical Level

Finally, in this regard design´s analytical aspect aims primarily to gather, organize,analyze and align the information collected during the entire process, permeating andtranscending all the mentioned levels. The analytical design level proposed here is nota step or isolated set of actions. The analytical level conducts all the others and shouldassess its development and the information flow. The analytical level this way is

present during all the process. It starts the process, providing the information, itconducts the process, assessing the information flow and it verifies at the end of the

process if the final result, communicates the selected information. At the strategiclevel, the analysis has a greater focus on diagnosis; at the tactical and operationallevels the focus is structural, consolidating the information.

The analytical level works mostly in the point of contact between the organizationand the society. The organization has potentials that can fulfill society needs. Theanalytical level has to consider the potential and the needs to conduct the design process. The process can start on a potential, like a new technology and aim at a

market need that could benefit from this, or start from a market need, that theorganization has potential to fulfill. This dynamic is clearly not so linear; a need canstart the development off a new technology and vice versa and a set of other factorscan influence or even start a new project.

4.2 The Design Model Proposal

Taking in consideration the concepts already placed, the proposal of a visualrepresentation model suitable for design management, should identify and representthese levels (strategic, tactical and operational) in order to facilitate their understanding focusing the achievement of a better information flow and analysis,contributing to design management.

However, to explain the possibilities of the model is necessary to establish a

parallel between the model and the different forms of interaction between humans andthe environment. Sometimes this interaction occurs based on sensations caused by

certain actions, in other words, acting and then thinking about it. Other times thisinteraction occurs from reflection, thinking and then acting. However, in the

management literature, despite the mention of the management models top-down, bottom-up, etc. Systematic management processes are mostly based on the strategiclevel to the operational level, first think and then act.

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Fig. 1. The Model, where S means strategic, T tactical and O operational.

The model presented here, regarding analysis does not consider its use in a single

vector (Figure 1). The model proposes the improvement of management processes

through standardization of procedures and the visual representation of informationflow. Thus, the analytical aspect may have greater emphasis on a specific level,depending on the organization strategy. Using the model as a form of visualrepresentation in the organization of the main procedures, activities and tasks of themanagement process, a significant improvement and contribution may be achieved.

The whole Figure 1 itself represents the design process. The previous identified

levels are represented in the figure by its first letters. S is strategic, T is tactical and Ois operational. From strategic to operational level there is a flow direction. All theselevels have some intersection. In this intersection, information is passed from onelevel to another. Also, these intersections can be strategic points of analysisintervention, assessing the information flow through the process. These divisions thatdelimitate each of the levels, as well as the analysis are not impermeable. Information

can be filtered through the levels, but all levels should be permeable to new

information. The roles and a possible application of the model are on Figure 2.

Fig. 2. The Model detailing the roles of each level.

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The model in its full representation identifies the levels and processes in relation to

the environment in which they operate. Design can be considered as a form of

communication between the organization and society, design transmits informationthrough its resulting formalizations. This information can be reflected in the final

form of the resulting design process. Such information, strategically selected bymanagement, may reflect for example, a major consideration of ergonomics in the project or transmit in the final result a concept of sophistication, or simplicity, or strength, etc.

Therefore, the proposed model when contextualized takes in consideration precepts

of information theory, assuming both [22] and [23] assumptions. [23]'s model helps toidentify the agents of the process, but not unidirectional and cyclical nature of the

process model is a reflection of [22] and also the concept that the parts involved in the process are transmitters and receivers at the same time. The model thus represents theorganization and the society, as well the contact area between them. In a moretraditional view, the organization would be the transmitter and society the receiver, being the contact point between the two, the means by which a crop of information(the result of the design process) would be transmitted. However, the information thatinfluences the process comes not only from the organization to the society but also

from society to the organization. Such information reflects in the process and are previously filtered by the membrane of strategic analysis. The information context isshown on Figure 4 and the complete model with its contextual features in Figure 5.

Fig. 4. The Model and its information context.

Finally, it is noted that the implementation of the proposed models, somerequirements must be evaluated and previously taken into account: interest andcommitment from top management to its use must be checked; should be clear thatthe focus should be on the overall value set by the company and this way be applied

to the whole process (global value is priority), collaboration and guidance of the teamis fundamental and a previous experiment should take plane (before formal change, or standard establishment).

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Fig. 5. The Complete Design Model.

5 Discussions and Implications

This work concludes that design management process should be incorporated as away of managing information. Thus, models of visual representation, a design processcharacteristic, may promote a global view, simplified and unified. This way greater understanding and alignment between goals, planning, control and conduction may beachieved.

Different design actuation levels are presented, from project development

processes to more strategic levels. Also, the analytical aspect was also highlighted.The proposed visual model sought to demonstrate the importance of enabling better

information flow, and thus seek efficiency and effectiveness in communication,allowing analysis, constant checks and controls. This way a better alignment amongstakeholders may be achieved facilitating the objectives and values comprehensionthat flows along the process, and finally, promote dialogue and greater participationof the people involved.

As demonstrated at the beginning of this article, the proposed model constructionemerged from a visualized opportunity for improvement in management processes.

The initial need was perceived and discussed by the authors during and after diverse projects management and a lack of this kind of approach was verified. The model presented here is still in study, this way, as future works, real situation applicationwill be conducted, initially on academic projects of social design focus and, later,with commercial organizations.

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Thanks

Thanks to CNPq and CAPES and the Design Management Center at UFSC.

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