Public defence in Industrial Engineering and Management, M.Sc. (Tech) Alireza Jaribion

Title of the thesis: Use Cases of Emerging Digital Technologies in Operations Management—Exploring Purposes and Development Approaches

Doctoral student: Alireza Jaribion
Opponent: Professor Thorsten Wuest, University of South Carolina, US
Custos: Professor Jan Holmström, Aalto University School of Science, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management

Emerging digital technologies (EDTs) have the potential to transform operations management (OM) by enabling enhanced analysis, automation, and optimization. However, assessing their applicability remains challenging due to their evolving nature and yet-to-be-fully-realized practical benefits. Research suggests that use cases are essential for EDT adoption and development, yet their role in OM is underexplored. While existing studies discuss concept, methodological frameworks, and theoretical perspectives for use cases, they fall short in elaborating on their purpose and development approaches in OM. This doctoral dissertation aims to bridge this gap by examining why and how to develop EDT use cases in OM, drawing insights from five research articles.

The dissertation summary introduces a framework for developing and assessing EDT use cases, informed by literature on the challenges in assessing the use of EDTs and use case development. This framework is applied to analyze use cases for three EDTs—digital twins, additive manufacturing (AM), and blockchain—presented in the research articles. The findings suggest that use cases help alleviate specific challenges in assessing the value of EDTs in OM, including timing and rationale for adoption, contextual application, technological capability and requirements, regulatory considerations, and implications of use. Moreover, the analysis of the research articles highlights that use cases indicate the stage of the EDT hype cycle, facilitating the identification of the over-optimistic stage of “wide-ranging use”, over-pessimistic “limited use”, and more realistic “actual use”. In exploring methods for use case development, this dissertation reviews established approaches such as experimentation, prototyping, and expert consultation, and introduces hackathons as a novel and promising method. 

The research articles included in the dissertation make technology-specific contributions by introducing digital twin use cases for building lifecycle management and risk management in hydrogen storage and transportation, AM use cases for the emergency production of medical supplies during disruptive events, and a blockchain use case for protecting intellectual property rights when sharing digital designs.

For operations managers, the proposed framework serves as a valuable tool for guiding the development and assessment of EDT use cases. Additionally, this dissertation introduces hackathons as a method to help operations managers develop use cases that are specifically tailored to their business needs and real-world problems.

Key words: Emerging digital technologies, use case, operations management, hackathons, digital twins, additive manufacturing, blockchain 

Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/ 

Contact information: Email: alireza.jaribion@aalto.fi, Phone number: +358449566215

Doctoral theses of the School of Science: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/52 

Zoom Quick Guide: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/zoom-quick-guide