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ENGINEERING DOCUMENTATION CONTROL HANDBOOK
Configuration Management in Industry
By Frank B. Watts Elsevier
Copyright © 2008 William Andrew Inc.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8155-1989-8
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 costs
Avoid making scrap
Avoid 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.
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 term used frequently in this text to refer to the variety of three-letter software applications) that allow workflow diagrams to be developed and control the processes come closest but are also often found wanting.
The military definition of the discipline is based on the terms; identification, control, status, accounting, and planning, some real "put-you-to-sleep" terms. A much better way to define the discipline is by the processes that it encompasses—the new item release, BOM, requesting changes, and making changes. Thus, we are talking about processes that most readers can relate to. Are there any software application systems out there that will address all our needs for these processes? Maybe, if one pays enough, buys enough consulting weeks to accompany the software, if one knows what one needs, and if the consultants understand the discipline—that is a lot of ifs!
Software programs may help after you understand the job that needs to be done and what process flow is best for you. The processes, however, must be simple; they must make sense, be fast, accurate, and efficient, measured and understood well. Get educated first, design your processes with legacy software, and then finally buy more software if needed. Something more substantial than software is needed between engineering and the rest of the organization, and it is called CM.
The Configuration Management Ladder
Many people believe that when they have been ISO (International Standards Organization) certified, they have adequately covered the documentation control and configuration management requirements. This is true as far as ISO is concerned, but ISO does not care how fast or efficient, or effective or simple the processes are. As is often said: "ISO merely wants you to document what you do and do what you document." This is a good step out of chaos, but is a long way from being the best in class or world-class. Examine the CM Ladder in Fig. 1.2.
The Configuration Management Discipline
Definition: CM: A simple, make-sense, fast, accurate, efficient, measured, and well-understood process approach to planning, identifying, controlling, and tracking a product's configuration from its inception throughout its life with minimum cost.
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Excerpted from ENGINEERING DOCUMENTATION CONTROL HANDBOOK by Frank B. Watts. Copyright © 2008 William Andrew Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Elsevier.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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