Engineering Documentation Control Handbook (WATTS, Frank B.)

A thoroughly practical guide to the implementation and improvement of Engineering Documentation Control (EDC), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Product Configuration Management (CM).

Engineering Documentation Control is critical to world-class manufacturing survival. This book provides a practical blueprint for successful and error-free implementation of EDC/CM. Strategically grounded yet retaining a focus on basics, rules and reasons, the practical guidelines can be used in many different industries to make the release of new products and their documentation flow smoothly and easily.

A huge amount of time is 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. This 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.

This new edition places a fresh emphasis on product lifecycle management and CM as engineering's quality control function. 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 retain their competitive advantage in a world that demands flexibility and quick reflexes - and has no sympathy for delays.

Frank Watts has nearly five decades of industrial and consulting experience. Widely recognized for his significant contributions to engineering change control processes, he founded his own company to specialize in configuration management with specific expertise in product release, change control, and bills of material and other engineering documentation control issues.

"The information contained in this book is essential reading for any configuration management or document control organization. We have begun implementing some of Dr. Watts' processes in our organization and are already reaping great efficiency improvements." Benjamin Medvitz, Vice President, Engineering, InTheAirNet LLC (including CM responsibility)