Engineering Documentation Control Handbook (4^th Ed.)
Configuration Management and Product Lifecycle Management

In this new edition of his widely-used Handbook, Frank Watts, widely recognized for his significant contributions to engineering change control processes, provides a thoroughly practical guide to the implementation and improvement of Engineering Documentation Control (EDC), Product Lifecycle Management and Product Configuration Management (CM). Successful and error-free implementation of EDC/CM is critical to world-class manufacturing. Huge amounts of time are 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.

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, implement changes and develop bills of material.

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 hold their competitive advantages in a world that demands flexibility and quick reflexes ? and has no sympathy for delays.

The new edition sets EDC/CM in the context of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), providing guidance on choosing, purchasing and implementing PLM software systems. Watts guides the reader to harness these tools and techniques for business objectives including Process Improvement and time-to-market.

1. Introduction2. Product Documentation3. Identification Numbers4. Interchangeability and Service Parts5. Bill of Material6. Teams and Other Foundation Blocks7. Document Release and Product Lifecycle8. Change Requests9. Change Lifecycle Cost10. Change Management11. Fast Change12. Process Improvement/Work Flow Diagrams13. Process Standards and Audits14. EDC and the Supply Chain15. Benchmarking16. Product Manufacturing Software

• Product Manufacturing Companies and related practitioners. See author’s clients list (below) for representative sample.
• "Product" as opposed to "Process" manufacturing – the process market is limited for my book
• Engineering VP, Director of Engineering, Engineering Services Manager/Director, Design Engineers, Configuration Management Manager, Engineering Documentation Control Manager, Document Control Technicians.
• Quality Assurance/Control VP, Director, Manager, QA Engineers.
• Manufacturing VP/Director/Manager, Operations VP/Director/Manager, Production Control Mangers, Purchasing/Supply Chain Managers, Production Control Managers.
• Manufacturing/Industrial/Process Engineers

Formally a director of engineering services, a director of operations and a director of manufacturing engineering, Watts has worked for Caterpillar, Collins Radio, Control Data, Storage Technology, UFE and Archive. He has guided the development of engineering change control processes at numerous companies and made significant contributions towards improving new product release processes, installing MRP/ERP systems and new numbering systems, as well as helping companies attain a single BOM database and guided reengineering of CM processes. He is an NDIA Certified Configuration and Data Manager, author of several magazine articles and author of the Engineering Documentation Control Handbook and CM Metrics.

• Solid, pragmatic ideas for real product and process cost reduction. According to one reviewer: ‘most books focus on the basics without examining all facets of each process area or functional area. This may be good for quickly learning, but it will only take the reader so far. Mr. Watts imparts the same information, but invites the reader to think and to consider strengths and weaknesses of processes and procedures. The copious examples, illustrations and breadth of topics covered make this book "the" reference on EDC and CM.’
• Strategic emphasis shows how processes may be integrated and tears down the ‘wall’ between Engineering and Operations
• Thorough description of Product Lifecycle Management software tools