Engineering Documentation Control Handbook

Configuration Management and Product Lifecycle Management

Frank B. Watts

• Publisher: William Andrew
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9781455778614
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Industrial Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

In this new edition of his widely-used Handbook, Frank Watts, widely recognized for his significant contributions to engineering change control processes, provides a thoroughly practical guide to the implementation and improvement of Engineering Documentation Control (EDC), Product Lifecycle Management and Product Configuration Management (CM). Successful and error-free implementation of EDC/CM is critical to world-class manufacturing. Huge amounts of time are wasted in most product manufacturing environments over EDC/CM issues such as interchangeability, document release and change control – resulting in faults, product release delays and overspends.The book is packed with specific methods that can be applied quickly and accurately to almost any industry and any product to control documentation, request changes to the product, implement changes and develop bills of material.The result is a powerful communications bridge between the engineering function and 'the rest of the world' that makes rapid changes in products and documentation possible. With the help of the simple techniques in the handbook, companies can gain and hold their competitive advantages in a world that demands flexibility and quick reflexes – and has no sympathy for delays.The new edition sets EDC/CM in the context of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), providing guidance on choosing, purchasing and implementing PLM software systems. Watts guides the reader to harness these tools and techniques for business objectives including Process Improvement and time-to-market.- Solid, pragmatic ideas for real product and process cost reduction. According to one reviewer: 'most books focus on the basics without examining all facets of each process area or functional area. This may be good for quickly learning, but it will only take the reader so far. Mr. Watts imparts the same information, but invites the reader to think and to consider strengths and weaknesses of processes and procedures. The copious examples, illustrations and breadth of topics covered make this book "the" reference on EDC and CM.'- Strategic emphasis shows how processes may be integrated and tears down the 'wall' between Engineering and Operations- Thorough description of Product Lifecycle Management software tools

Chapter 1. Introduction

Contents

What is Configuration Management4

Between Engineering and Manufacturing5

Configuration Management Ladder7

Configuration Management Discipline8

Configuration Management System8

History of Configuration Management9

Organization of Configuration Management10

Document Control Function Responsibilities12

Configuration Management Function Responsibilities12

Distributed Configuration Management14

Manager's Job14

Manager of Configuration Management14

Organization Within Configuration Management16

Configuration Management—What is It?16

Summary19

This chapters introduces the reader to the book and the concept and history of configuration management. Sections in this chapter cover aspects including why engineering documentation is needed and who should control it as well as the responsibilities of the various departments/managers.

Why do we need engineering documentation at all? Why control that documentation? The mere use of the word “control” puts most engineers into a very defensive mode. Are we trying to stifle the engineer's creativity? What is there to “manage” about the configuration of a product?

Let us first identify the basic “raw materials” of product manufacturing – the very essence of product manufacturing. There are four primary elements:

• Money – for the start-up/profits.

• Tools (machine, mold, software, etc.).

• People (and the processes and measurements they choose).

• A product embodied in design drawings and specs.

So why is it a surprise for some to hear that the management of those design documents is a critical discipline? Think about it. Without design documents, you do not have a producible product. Without control of design documents with make-sense processes and measurements, you have chaos.

Why do architects make drawings and specifications for a home or plant? Do they do this for their own pleasure or for a trade magazine or show? Isn't the documentation done so the customers get what they want? Aren't the documents for the builder who has to build the house and for the eventual owner who will have to maintain it? Try building or maintaining a product without adequate drawings and specs, it becomes especially difficult and error-prone when changes are being made. Try controlling the cost without controlling the changes. Still, most businesses operate to some extent without proper, timely, or adequate control of their documentation. The symptoms are usually everywhere. Let us take a look at the symptoms.

Manufacturing says:

• I don't understand what I'm supposed to build.

• What criteria do we test to?

• Where is the change I need to:

Reduce costs

Avoid making scrap

Avoid making parts that will have to be reworked?

• Will this change increase the “bone pile” of down-level material?

• Why do I have these bad parts on the dock?

Sales says:

• You mean the product isn't ready for the market window.

• Where is that promised new feature?

• Why didn't we deliver a product with the options the customer asked for?

Customer says:

• I didn't get what I ordered.

• Where is the fix you promised me?

• Where is that new feature or option?

Dealer/Field Service says:

• Shouldn't my publications match my product?

• Where is the fix for this nagging product, firmware, or software problem?

• Our customer is angry – can't we move faster?

Repair says:

• I could fix it easier if I knew what is in this product.

• What changes should be and shouldn't be incorporated upon repair?

Quality says:

• Is this cost included in our Cost of Quality?

• Should we treat ourselves, our suppliers, or our customers this way?

• How can we meet our customer's standards?

• We can't meet international and US standards.

Employee says:

• I asked them to do something about this a long time ago.

Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? The cure is: simple, make-sense, fast, accurate, measured, efficient and well-understood Engineering Documentation Control/Configuration Management (EDC/CM) standards and processes. Good design documentation and its control is the solution for the root cause of these symptoms. Thus, Configuration Management is the medicine that cures the root causes.

CM, kept simple, results in many benefits to the company. What are the benefits of a fast, accurate, and well-understood CM system? Let us take a look at the potential benefits of a carefully planned CM strategy.

Benefits:

• Helps to get new products to the market faster and reduce delivery time for a customized product.

• Happier customers because they see the new option, change, or feature they had requested, much quicker.

• The customers get what they ordered with fewer missed delivery commitments.

• Reduces the “bone piles” of down-level material.

• Gets real cost reductions implemented quicker.

• Reduces the manufacturing rework and scrap costs significantly.

• Improves bill of material (BOM) accuracy and saves the corresponding material waste and correction time, resulting in corresponding improvement in product quality and inventory accuracy.

• Eliminates multiple BOMs and saves the costs of maintaining the bills, not to mention eliminating the risks associated with multiple bills.

• Evolution of the BOM in lead time to produce the product quicker.

• Reduces field maintenance, retrofit, and repair cost.

• Know exactly what items are non-interchangeable in each product.

• Improves the understanding and communication between design engineering and the rest of the world.

• Clarifies the responsibilities and thus eliminates finger pointing.

• Saves wear and tear on CM managers, master schedulers, and all types of engineers.

• Complies with applicable customer or agency standards.

• Sorts out changes that are not needed or aren't cost-effective.

• Saves many dollars a year in paper and copying costs alone.

• Significant reduction in the cost of quality.

• Allows the company to qualify as a best-in-class producer.

• Sets the stage for innovation in engineering and manufacturing.

The ways and means of achieving these benefits are not secret, high-tech, or cost-prohibitive. These benefits are attainable. This book will outline the who, what, how, why, when, where, and how much in order to achieve an exceptional EDC system. The author has never seen a world-class CM system; he has, however, brought the best of the best to this book. Who knows, maybe the best of the best constitutes a world-class system!

What is Configuration Management

Configuration Management is the communications bridge between design engineering and the rest of the world (see Fig. 1.1). This is the single most important function performed by the CM organization.

Figure 1.1 Configuration management defined.

The critical nature of the CM discipline cannot be overemphasized. American manufacturing has developed a near tradition of allowing design engineering and the rest of the company to be in an adversarial relationship. It results substantially from the “throw it over the wall” syndrome – the new design release or engineering change that is done without consultation with the key people at the right time.

Many manufacturing and engineering systems are often unwittingly designed to foster that traditional kind of thinking. The enlightened CM manager can tear down the wall, or at least build a bridge over it.

Let us face it, generally, the designers are thinkers and creators, while the operations people are movers and doers. They will naturally have difficulty communicating. The CM group can enhance communications and ensure that these folks cross the bridge at the right time for necessary communications and with the necessary documents.

The CM function must ensure that what crosses the bridge is properly documented, minimally controlled, available as and when needed, and that feedback is obtained as to when changes occur in production or service. All this must be done at a minimum cost, while appearing “transparent” to the creative design people and the rest of the world.

While not getting in the way of the design engineer or software engineer, it must be kept in mind that the engineer's product is not just a working evaluation or prototype unit, but that it is accurate specification and drawings for all the parts in that product ready for production. The engineering/CM product is thus quality design documentation.

The primary customer for this documentation is not design engineering, but is manufacturing, suppliers, field service, and the company's customer. The company's customer must be paramount among these “users” (a term that is much less acceptable to this writer than “customer”). The vast majority of the design documents are prepared for manufacturing/operations, suppliers and service use. In this sense manufacturing, suppliers and field service people are the most important customers.

There are some symptoms crying for impr...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Table of Contents
• Front Matter
• Copyright
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Chapter 2. Product Documentation
• Chapter 3. Identification Numbers
• Chapter 4. Interchangeability and Service Parts
• Chapter 5. Bill of Material
• Chapter 6. Teams and Other Foundation Blocks
• Chapter 7. Document Release and Product Lifecycle
• Chapter 8. Change Requests
• Chapter 9. Change Lifecycle Cost
• Chapter 10. Change Management
• Chapter 11. Fast Change
• Chapter 12. Process Improvement/Work Flow Diagrams
• Chapter 13. Process Standards and Audits
• Chapter 14. EDC and the Supply Chain
• Chapter 15. Benchmarking
• Chapter 16. Product Manufacturing Software
• Reference and Reading List
• Index