Preface

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Product data management (PDM) is the discipline governing the control of the product data and processes used during the entire life cycle of a product. Companies developing and manufacturing hardware products have traditionally used PDM. Software configuration management (SCM) is the discipline encompassing the control of the evolution of software products. Over the years, PDM and SCM have evolved in parallel with little or no communication between the separate developers of software and hardware. Today, products are often complex systems consisting of hardware, software, and related documentation, placing new demands on the system integration. Such complex products are often developed by several groups, each developing its part of the product, making use of either PDM in the case of hardware or SCM in the case of software components. At the point in time at which the components must be integrated to constitute the final product, information controlled by PDM and SCM must also be integrated. This is not easy, as considerable information of different formats is involved. Without direct support such as that provided by PDM and SCM tools, it is almost impossible.

Indeed, at this point many companies experience serious problems— information integration is found to be difficult to achieve, especially when managed by different tools from different domains. Why is this so? There are many reasons, technical and nontechnical. Technically, it is difficult to transfer information between different systems in an efficient way and to keep information in many systems consistent. The interoperability of PDM and SCM could thus be a key factor in the efficient management of total product information. However, PDM and SCM tools are not designed to communicate. Nontechnical factors can have even more serious results.

System and hardware engineers frequently do not understand software engineers and their demands on a configuration management (CM) system, and vice versa. PDM users and SCM users may use the same or similar terms, but these terms often have different meanings to each category and are understood differently. Companies have serious problems in using PDM and SCM together. The degree to which their engineers, developers, and project mangers have knowledge of both disciplines is typically low, the overall development process is usually complex and not properly defined, and the integration possibilities provided by PDM or SCM vendors are limited.

The purpose of this book is to build a bridge between PDM and SCM and between the users of these tools. The first step towards this is to create a common understanding of the two disciplines. The book aims at this by providing an overview of PDM and SCM separately and in relation to each other. In this way, both PDM and SCM users can learn and understand the needs and requirements of the other discipline from their own perspective. Comparing and analyzing key functions of tools from both disciplines gives a deeper insight into both the use of the tools and how they can be integrated. Further, the book discusses the possibilities of their integration. As integration is not only a matter of the integration of the tools but also of the processes in which these tools are used, the book describes and discusses product life cycle processes and their relation to PDM and SCM. The principles of integration and the information that can be integrated are discussed in particular. To provide a more concrete understanding, several cases of integrated tools and processes are presented in the book. Case studies from several large international companies demonstrate the state-of-practice use of PDM and SCM and provide a basis for discussion.

Organization of this book

The book is divided into five parts, each of which explores a theme through several chapters. The parts are organized in such a way that a concept of PDM and SCM, and their integration, is developed from the ground up.

The first half of the book consists of three parts and describes the theoretical principles and concepts of PDM and SCM and their integration. The book begins with an introductory text explaining why PDM and SCM support is essential in any development process. The following chapters introduce PDM and SCM principles and discuss their similarities and the principal differences between them. The last chapters of the first half of the book describe possible alternative integrations of PDM and SCM and provide useful procedures for the deployment of PDM and SCM tools.

The second half of the book consists of two parts and is of a more practical-nature: The first part includes several case studies from prominent U.S. and European companies. These case studies illustrate the use of PDM and SCM in the companies’ development and manufacturing processes. The second half functions as a reference book. It includes many references to PDM, SCM and document management tools and their vendors, Web resources, and finally overviews of the most important standards used in PDM and SCM.

The five parts are organized as follows:

• Part I, Basic Principles of PDM and SCM, consists of three chapters. The first chapter is an overview of the complexity of product development and explains the need for the support provided by PDM and SCM. It is aimed at readers unfamiliar with PDM or SCM, (e.g., students or engineers not experienced in developing large systems). The second and third chapters describe in detail the basic principles of PDM and SCM.

• Part II, Similarities and Differences Between PDM and SCM, compares PDM and SCM, and describes their ability to support particular processes in software or product development.

• Part III, Integration and Deployment, contains two chapters. The first chapter discusses the possibilities of integrating PDM and SCM, describes the concepts of integration, and presents certain examples of integration. The second chapter contains a detailed description of PDM and SCM evaluation and deployment processes.

• Part IV, Case Studies, gives examples from the industry of development processes and the practical use of PDM, SCM, and document management tools. Overviews of particular projects and organizational units in large multinational companies are presented. The studies illustrate the complexity of development processes and the ongoing efforts of the companies to improve these processes by using PDM and SCM.

• Part V, Tools and Standards Survey, consists of comprehensive lists of references to PDM, SCM and document management tools, and vendors and their Web resources. Short surveys of selected PDM and SCM tools are used to exemplify the different types of such tools. Finally, standards closely related to PDM, SCM, and document management are described briefly.

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