What care and control procedures need to be in place for drawings and specifications?

Answer 1

Document control for engineering drawings is comprised of both document attributes and a defined control process.

Engineering drawings, including technical documents such as specifications, procedures, will usually have these attributes:

• Owning organization, which is ultimately responsible for the document content.
• Document identification through the use of a document numbering system
• Title or description
• Document revision or other indication of a specific design iteration
• Author(s), reviewer(s) and/or others who created the information
• And, of course, the appropriate technical information necessary to fulfill their purpose

A document control process consists of a set of procedures for creating and maintaining the attributes of engineering drawings. Engineering drawing management processes include business rules that define:

• Which engineering drawing types are supported, and the contents and format of each type
• How engineering drawings are identified (e.g., owner, number, revision, title)
• Who is responsible for creating, reviewing and approving engineering drawings
• When engineering drawings may be released to interested parties
• The conditions under which existing engineering drawings are revised, replaced or canceled
• How obsolete engineering drawings are controlled, recalled or destroyed

Engineering drawings that reflect a consistent set of attributes, and are controlled using a documented set of procedures, significantly reduce product costs by simplifying design, sourcing, production, customer adoption and field service. PDXpert PLM software offers these precise advantages.