Every design change causes quality risks and development delays

Have you ever had the experience of missing an item that should have been checked at the final evaluation stage during product development, or mistaking the pass/fail criteria, resulting in a defective product being shipped to the market?

The root cause is a mismatch between the product specification and the verification specification.

In recent years, the functions and specifications required of products have become increasingly complex, and as a result, the items to verify the validity of functions and the appropriateness of products have become more diverse.

Traditionally, information between development processes has been passed on by a bucket relay system. However, there are limitations to passing information manually, and this "game of telephone" can lead to missed communication or mistakes somewhere in the process, resulting in verification being carried out with inappropriate evaluation specifications.

Solution: Manage specifications "structurally"

Many companies create specifications using word processing applications and manage them as electronic files. However, this is merely replacing paper with digital, and the information is not being used effectively.
In file management, the only digital "meaningful unit of information" is the file itself -- in other words, it can only indicate whether or not a specification exists, and it is not possible to systematically judge the validity of the contents.

By utilizing PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), you can break down the management targets from a file-by-file basis to a more granular level such as "functional definitions" and "specification values," and structure them on a digital platform. This is the first time that you can effectively utilize digital technology.

Specific measures for "structural" specification management realized by PLM

1. Structure and centralize management of product and verification specifications
By using the requirements management function, you can structure the items and parameters described in the specifications as "meaningful information units." You can also import existing specifications created in document creation applications, making use of past assets while laying the foundation for digital collaboration.

2. Building trace links between specifications
By defining trace links (associations) between each relevant item in the structured product specifications, design specifications, verification specifications, etc., relationships can be built between information in the development process. These relationships can be viewed as a whole using a trace matrix, etc., which reduces the risk of missing verification.

3. Centralized management of parameters for automatic evaluation
When used in conjunction with the parameter management function, the system will follow links to automatically determine whether the specification values of downstream processes match the definitions of upstream processes. Spec-outs caused by miscommunication can be detected early on, preventing rework.

4. Automatic adjustment when design changes occur
Even if upstream specifications are changed, related downstream specifications and drawing items are automatically reevaluated and alerts are sent to prompt design changes as necessary, reducing inconsistencies and defects caused by changes.

Document download

Engineering chain reform aiming for zero rework - Reducing design change risks through centralized specification management and automatic alignment -

This book explains practical methods from a field perspective for standardizing tasks that have become highly personalized and achieving both quality and speed.

This is recommended for those who are worried about "why design changes never stop" and "where should improvements begin?"

We provide one-stop support for PLM implementation and establishment

We ensure traceability from product specifications to verification specifications, preventing inconsistencies in specifications and thereby improving our customers' quality.
To achieve this, we provide one-stop support from PLM implementation to establishment, consultation at the planning and concept stage, PoC, actual deployment, and operation.
Please feel free to contact us first.