Engineering Documentation Control Handbook

Frank B. Watts

• Publisher: William Andrew
• Year: 2008
• eBook ISBN: 9780815519898
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Engineering General
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Control of engineering documentation, sometimes called Configuration Management (CM) especially in the defense industries, remains critical to world-class manufacturing survival. The 3rd edition of this popular engineering documentation handbook improves upon one of the best blueprints for efficient EDC/CM ever published, and continues to provide a significant company strategy for managers, project leaders, chief engineers and others. It can be used in many industries to improve the control of engineering documentation.Use the Engineering Documentation Control Handbook to get on track right away and make the release of new products and their documentation flow smoothly and easily. 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, make those changes and develop bills of material. The result is a powerful communications bridge between engineering 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 takes the improvements of the second to a whole new level, with more chapters and even more additions. As always, the thrust of the book retains a focus on basics, rules and reasons. The author emphasizes that EDC or CM must be recognized as a key business strategy, and the days of "throwing it over the wall" are gone forever.

Chapter 1. Introduction

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 three primary elements:

• Tools (machine, mold, software, etc.)
• People
• A product embodied in design drawings and specs

So why is it a surprise for some to hear that the control of those design documents is a critical discipline? Think about it. Without design documents, you have no product. Without control of design documents (and the manufacturing processes), 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 that 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 on 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 costsAvoid making scrapAvoid making parts that will have to be reworked
• Will this change increase the “bone pile” of down-level material

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

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 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, and well-understood Engineering Documentation Control/Configuration Management (EDC/CM). 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 cause problems and, therefore, the symptoms disappear.

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 BOM and saves the costs of maintaining the bills, not to mention eliminating the risks associated with multiple bills.
• Evolution of BOM in lead-time to produce the product.
• Reduces field maintenance, retrofit, and repair cost.
• Knows exactly what is noninterchangeable 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 Configuration 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.
• Allow the company to qualify as a best in class producer.
• Set the stage for innovation in engineering and manufacturing.

The ways and means of achieving these benefits is 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 Design and the rest of the company being 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 CM 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 in 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 the product. 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 (programmer or software engineer), it must be kept in mind that the engineer's product is not just a working 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 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, suppliers' and service use. In this sense manufacturing, suppliers and field service people are the most important customers.

There are some symptoms crying for improved CM in every company. The benefits of having a best in class CM organization and system explain why it is a significant business strategy.

“Between Engineering and Manufacturing” is an article the author wrote for Mid-Range Enterprise Resource Planning in May 1998 (edited), which may shed further light on the need for improving this discipline.

Between Engineering and Manufacturing

Most product manufacturing companies suffer from the “wall syndrome.” The “manufacturing side” bought MRP/ERP/SCM; the “engineering side” went out and bought CAD/PDM/PLM. Those systems do not generally “talk” to each other. The engineering folks are, by and large, analytical and cautious (Ready … Aim … . Fire); the manufacturing folks are, by and large, shakers, movers, and doers (Fire-Aim, Fire-Aim, Fire-Aim). The people do not communicate very well. The manufacturing folks say that engineering “throws it over the wall.” The engineering folks say that you cannot find anyone when you need them who knows how the product will be produced. Many of the modern MRP/ERP/SCM and CAD/PDM/PLM systems also do not aid the communications very well. This situation often results in a huge gap between engineering and manufacturing.

There is a discipline which can, if properly done, bridge this gap. It is EDC/CM. However, EDC/CM is often very poorly understood and often clouded with claims from the software application folks on both sides. Those who came from a military/DOD-regulated world have applied configuration management requirements that are too complicated, and usually resulted in too much control. Most often, the document control function is manned by one or a few low-paid people who are ill-trained, buried in the organization structure, frustrated, and ready to change jobs. A configuration management function that is properly managed, organized, trained, and manned can tear down the wall and bridge the gap between engineering and manufacturing. “Properly manned,” however, does not always mean hiring new people. Often the people are there, but they are just scattered in many parts of the organization.

The software applications people all seem to have a claim for doing configuration management. Some do address some parts of the processes involved, but few are comprehensive. Most companies end up with a CAD, a manufacturing system, an engineering system and other systems, but still lack a comprehensive CM. These software systems (a te...

Table of contents

• Brief Table of Contents
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Chapter 2. Product Documentation
• Chapter 3. Identification Numbers
• Chapter 4. Interchangeability
• Chapter 5. Bill of Material
• Chapter 6. Potpourri
• Chapter 7. Product and Document Release
• Chapter 8. Change Requests
• Chapter 9. Change Cost
• Chapter 10. Change Control
• Chapter 11. Fast Change
• Chapter 12. Implementing Process Improvement
• Chapter 13. Process Standards and Audits
• Chapter 14. EDC and the Supply Chain
• Chapter 15. Benchmarking
• Chapter 16. CM in the Future/Summary
• Bibliography
• Appendix Related Titles
• Index