Design Management

Design management is a critical process integral to the success of any project, involving the strategic planning, effective organization, and controlled issuance of essential documents. These documents, ranging from drawings to reports, specifications, and schedules, play a pivotal role in shaping and guiding project outcomes.

In the context of your project, these controlled documents are seamlessly incorporated into document placeholders using the dedicated Document Lifecycle Manager (DLM) tab. This ensures a systematic approach to managing revisions and the precise tracking of document issues and transmissions to project stakeholders.

Document Lifecycle Phases

The document lifecycle within PIM's Design Management is a structured progression through various phases, each playing a crucial role in the management and evolution of project documents. These phases define the journey from the initial creation of placeholders to the final transmission of reviewed and approved documents. Let's explore each phase:

Placeholder Creation

This phase initiates the lifecycle by crafting placeholders, representing documents yet to be produced. Key metadata, including document numbers, set memberships, and document revisions, is meticulously defined. The use of predefined number schemes ensures the uniqueness of document references. Additionally, this phase provides the flexibility to apply sets, work packages, and assign entities, tailoring placeholders to the project's specific needs.

Assign Files

With placeholders in place, the next phase involves adding actual files to these placeholders. This includes identifying matches, creating new placeholders as needed, and manually matching files. Crucially, rules governing the supersession of placeholders that have been issued are strictly enforced during this phase, maintaining the integrity of revision control.

Document Review

In this phase, the document undergoes a comprehensive review process facilitated by the DLM Approvals (DLMA) system. The setup involves configuring workflows, installing the DLMA package, and defining approval route types and templates. Users can select placeholders for review, initiate the review process, provide feedback, set approval statuses, and, if necessary, request resubmittals.

Resubmittals

Resubmittals involve selecting placeholders for issuing, starting the resubmittal process, and concluding it when revised documents are successfully entered into the DLM. This phase ensures that any updates or amendments are seamlessly incorporated into the project's document repository.

Document Issues

The final phase revolves around issuing documents through the Document Control System (DCS). Users select specific placeholders, initiate the issue process, and define versions, recipients, and media types. Notes and other relevant details are entered before completing the document issue process. This phase ensures the controlled and traceable distribution of crucial project documents.

These document lifecycle phases collectively form a robust framework for managing project documents effectively, from inception to distribution.