Using this as a communication and design review tool can help shorten the process and eliminate productivity barriers:

Design databases can be used to streamline the design process.

Design milestones and reviews help ensure that the design process is timely.

If designs require changes, they should be documented with:

Quality standards in some industries allow for electronic documents to serve as a permanent record if they are properly controlled.

Individual companies often have their own standards of data management.

Legal standards for how long engineering drawings need to be retained are standardized in the United States.

It is important to establish a procedure and name files systematically.

Once a drawing is determined to be complete, the title block is used to document the change from:

Electronic files for the most part have replaced the use of microfilm and microfiche.

Drawings created with commercial software are typically saved as:

After a drawing has been released, an engineering change order is used to document and approve drawing changes.

To be useful, drawings must be stored electronically in a manner that satisfies the requirements for a static snapshot of the design at the time of release.

PERT or Gantt charts are used specifically to track time engineering change orders.

Efficient document management is only a minor part of effective concurrent engineering practices.

It is a good idea to have a single directory in which all employees store work.

Because electronically stored files can easily be altered, they may not be considered acceptable for documentation.