Configuration Management Metrics. Product Lifecycle and Engineering Documentation Control Process Measurement and Improvement

Configuration Management (CM) has become a key strategy for successful manufacturing companies. Controlling the design documentation throughout its lifecycle and knowing what is in the product is imperative for quickly moving a new product to the marketplace, identifying and making necessary changes as fast as possible. CM is similarly important to efficient, high quality and low cost supply chain and production processes. It is also critical to maintenance, repair, retrofit, service parts provisioning as well as the elephant in the room – liability protection. Fast, accurate, efficient, documented, measured and well understood Configuration Management is also critical to profitability. Frank Watts' Configuration Management Metrics gets engineers and managers up and running with Configuration Management measurement, reporting and benchmarking strategies designed to deliver world-class manufacturing outcomes. About the Author Frank Watts is a consultant with nearly 50 years of industrial and consulting experience. He has founded his own company to specialize in Configuration Management. Mr. Watts has guided the development of the engineering change control process at many companies, making significant contributions to improve new product release processes, install MRP/ERP systems and new numbering systems, and help companies attain a single BOM database, and guide reengineering of the Configuration Management processes. He is author of three editions of the Engineering Documentation Control Handbook . Provides detailed guidance on developing and implementing measurement systems and reports Demonstrates methods of graphing and charting data, with benchmarks A practical resource for the development of Engineering Documentation Control processes Includes basic principles of Product Lifecycle processes and their measurement Configuration Management Metrics: Product Lifecycle and Engineering Documentation Control Process Measurement and Improvement provides a comprehensive discussion of measurements for configuration management/product lifecycle processes. Each chapter outlines one of the most important measures of merit – the need for written policy and procedures. The best of the best practices as to the optimum standards are listed with an opportunity for the reader to check off those that their company has and those they do not. The book first defines the concept of configuration management (CM) and explains its importance. It then discusses the important metrics in the major CM and related processes. These include: new item release; order entry/fulfillment; request for change; bill of material change cost; and field change. Ancillary processes which may or may not be thought of as part of these major processes are also addressed, including deviations, service parts, publications and field failure reporting. Provides detailed guidance on developing and implementing measurement systems and reports Demonstrates methods of graphing and charting data, with benchmarks A practical resource for the development of Engineering Documentation Control processes Includes basic principles of Product Lifecycle processes and their measurement Content: Copyright , Page iv Acknowledgements , Page xiii Preface , Pages xv-xix List of Figures , Pages xxi-xxv List of Tables , Pages xxvii-xxviii Chapter One - Introduction , Pages 1-12 Chapter Two - Metrics and process requirements , Pages 13-48 Chapter Three - New item release , Pages 49-83 Chapter Four - Order entry and fulfillment , Pages 85-96 Chapter Five - Bill of material (BOM) process , Pages 97-118 Chapter Six - Request process , Pages 119-133 Chapter Seven - Ancillary processes , Pages 135-149 Chapter Eight - Change cost , Pages 151-160 Chapter Nine - Change process , Pages 161-210 Chapter Ten - Field change metrics , Pages 211-223 Chapter Eleven - Definitions , Pages 225-237 Summary , Pages 239-241 Index , Pages 243-250