Product and Document Release

The release of the product and its documentation should be an evolutionary process. Shortly after the design and development begins, the service support planning and manufacturing process development should start. Design Engineering develops the product, Manufacturing develops the production process, and Field Support develops the service and maintenance plans. The Product Specification document, whatever form it takes, should be released first. Manufacturing needs the release of part documents next—in lead-time to produce the item. Engineering should accommodate that need to the maximum extent possible. Thus, documents should be released one or a few at a time—in lead-time. When a single drawing is agreed upon, it can be released. This is evolution of the product and its documentation. It is the fastest approach to new product release. As this process takes place, the management will impose certain major milestones to pass during the product evolution. These milestones divide the project into phases. These phases are called by different names at different companies.