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and marketing documentation takes place. This could include transferring
engineering data (geometry and part list data) to a web-based sales con-
figurator and other desktop publishing systems.
Phase 4: Service—Use, Operate, Maintain, Support,
Sustain, Phase Out, Retire, Recycle, and Dispose
The final phase of the life cycle involves managing of in-service informa-
tion, providing customers and service engineers with support informa-
tion for repair and maintenance as well as waste management/recycling
information. This involves using tools such as maintenance, repair, and
operations (MRO) management software.
There is an end of life to every product. Whether it be disposal or
destruction of material objects or information, this needs to be consid-
ered, because it may not be free from ramifications.
Cross Phases
None of the previous four phases can be seen in isolation. In reality, a
project does not run sequentially or in isolation of other product-devel-
opment projects. Information is flowing between different people and
systems. A major part of PLM is the coordination and management of
product-definition data. This includes managing engineering changes
and release status of components, configuration of product variations,
document management, planning project resources and time scale, and
risk assessment.
For these tasks, graphics, text, and metadata such as product bills of
materials (BOMs) needs to be managed. At the engineering-departments
level, this is the domain of PDM software, and at the corporate level, it
is the domain of EDM (enterprise data management) software. Although
these two definitions tend to blur, it is typical to see two or more data man-
agement systems within an organization. These systems are also linked
to other corporate systems such as SCM, CRM, and ERP. Associated
with these system are project-management systems for project/program
planning.
This central role is covered by numerous collaborative product develop-
ment tools that run throughout the whole life cycle and across organiza-
tions. This requires many technology tools in the areas of conferencing,
data sharing, and data translation. The field of product visualization
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