Skip Navigation LinksProject-Planning

Project Planning and Control

Gantt chart: A matrix-type horizontal bar chart used in process/project planning and control to display planned and finished work in relation to time. It is called a milestone chart when interim checkpoints are added.

DMADV: A data driven quality strategy for designing products and processes, it is an integral part of a Six Sigma quality initiative. It consists of five interconnected phases: define, measure, analyze, design and verify.

DMAIC: A data driven quality strategy for improving processes and an integral part of a Six Sigma quality initiative. DMAIC is an acronym for define, measure, analyze, improve and control.

Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle: A four-step process for quality improvement. In the first step (plan), a way to effect improvement is developed. In the second step (do), the plan is carried out. In the third step (check), a study takes place between what was predicted and what was observed in the previous step. In the last step (act), action should be taken to correct or improve the process.

Six Sigma is a method that provides organizations tools to improve the capability of their business processes. This increase in performance and decrease in process variation helps lead to defect reduction and improvement in profits, employee morale, and quality of products or services. "Six Sigma quality" is a term generally used to indicate a process is well controlled (within process limits ±3s from the center line in a control chart, and requirements/tolerance limits ±6s from the center line).

Source: ASQ 

 GANTT CHART

The Gantt chart must be according to the Design Stages.

PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT (PDCA)

DEFINE, MEASURE, ANALYZE, IMPROVE, CONTROL (DMAIC)


Configuration Management

Configuration management (CM) is a systems engineering process for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product's performance, functional, and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life. The CM process is widely used by military engineering organizations to manage changes throughout the system lifecycle of complex systems. Keeping track of all these changes to specifications, drawings, support documentation and manufacturing processes is the essence of configuration management. 

Configuration management and planning. This covers the necessary standards, procedures, support facilities, resources and training, and sets out the scope, definitions, reviews, milestones and audit dates.

Part Numbering

Your design may include mechanical, software, firmware, sensors, and electronic systems and subsystems. To ensure interoperability, you need to bring the entire product design together, into a single system, so all team members and stakeholders can review the latest design throughout the product design lifecycle. Your designs may contain dozens to tens of thousands of unique parts. Knowing which parts to use in a product and when they need to be used is key to an efficient production line with minimal errors. To identify and keep track of parts, manufacturers apply a part numbering scheme.

Any part numbering system uniquely identifies an item approved for a specific application. Accurate, consistent, unambiguous identification over the entire part lifecycle is essential for correct product assembly, testing and maintenance. A part number (often abbreviated PN, P/N, part no., or part #) is an identifier of a particular part design or material used in a particular industry. Its purpose is to simplify reference to that item. A part number unambiguously identifies a part design within a single corporation, and sometimes across several corporations.[1] For example, when specifying a screw, it is easier to refer to "HSC0424PP" than saying "Hardware, screw, machine, 4-40, 3/4" long, pan head, Phillips". In this example, "HSC0424PP" is the part number, and it may be prefixed in database fields as "PN HSC0424PP" or "P/N HSC0424PP".

Part Numbering Tips

  • Use an Alphanemeric scheme
  • Avoid letters that may be confused with numbers, like I, L and O. Only use capital letters for consistency and differentiation.
  • Use as few letters as possible. Numbers are easier for speedy data entry and search.
  • Keep a consistent part number length and formatting, preferably on the short side. Four to eight characters will work for most companies.
  • Do not start part numbers with 0. Many softwares, like Excel, tend to drop these figures which can cause inconsistencies and confusion.
  • Do not use spaces or characters as delimiters that will confuse software, like slashes, parentheses, or apostrophes. Use hyphens (-) instead.

Past Numbering Tools

Note: The team must assign a unique number to each system, sub-system, assembly, part, and must folllow a Configuration Management Scheme and Part Numbering System throughout the Design Process and Documentation, and particularly in the following sections:

  • System Breakdown Structure
  • Design and Analysis 
  • Bill of Materials 
  • Manufacturing 
  • Testing 
  • Appendix "D" - Project Plan
  • Appendix "E" - Engineering Drawings
EMU Websites