Containing real-world examples from client consulting, the third edition of this popular handbook retains its original focus on basics, rules, and reasons, and provides a significant company strategy for engineering document control, a crucial foundation block for TQM (total quality management), JIT inventory control, cross-functional teams and concurrent engineering, lean manufacturing, and other industry strategies. The book is packed with specific methods that can be applied quickly and accurately to almost any industry and product to control documentation, request product changes, implement those changes, and develop bills of materials. The result is a powerful communications bridge between engineering and the “rest of the world”.

From the Preface: “...The quick release of new product documentation, minimal structuring of a single Bill of Materials database, the ability to request changes, and to change the documentation and product quickly and accurately are critical to a company's profitability. Thus, the development and implementation of a simple, make-sense, fast, accurate, efficient, measured, and well-understood CM [Configuration Management] system is an important business strategy. Simply put, it sets the stage for innovation in Engineering and Operations...”

Target Audience: Managers, project leaders, chief engineers, and others involved with engineering and manufacturing documentation.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Product Documentation

Identification Numbers

Interchangeability

Bill of Material

Potpourri

Product and Document Release

Change Requests

Change Cost

Change Control

Fast Change

Implementing Process Improvement

Process Standards and Audits

EDC and the Supply Chain

Benchmarking

CM in the Future/Summary

Index