(Part 1 of 3) In this first article of a multi-part series on hardware configuration management software tools for the aerospace and defense industry we begin by summarizing the trends which have added so much complexity that can paralyze even the best defense contractors and their…

The Top Questions Executives Should Ask Their Organization In our last CMsights post we presented the case that Product Configuration Governance (PCG) deserves more attention from the executive office suite beyond what it receives from configuration management (CM) practitioners. But how does a product line executive know when issues of…

The Case for Configuration Governance: Across the A&D industry increasing attention is being demanded from executives by a growing list of governance concerns. This list include matters of financial governance, legal governance, regulatory compliance governance, ITAR and controlled goods governance, human resource governance, and now even social responsibility governance. All…

The surest way for A&D managers to become interested in CM is when production halts because of a missed change order, a supplier ships to an old rev level, logistics can’t source replacement parts, field service starts submitting warranty claims, and a customer calls to report a product performance anomaly. Or worse yet, when executives first hear about a product failure in social media or on the news because it bore catastrophic consequences.

In this month’s CMsights post we invited Lisa Fenwick, Vice President of CMstat, to share how configuration management training and configuration management certification became so important to her engineering career. Lisa writes... I was very lucky when I graduated college with my BSME. My first job was performing project management…

In last month’s CMsights post we reflected on why the combination of configuration management (CM) and metrics is so problematic for CM professionals to engage and then educate their executives about as part of CM planning. We remarked this is not surprising because many managers, unfortunately, give little thought about CM…

Managers don't want an education in Configuration Management so talk to them about the business value of Configuration Management Metrics

In our most recent series of CMsights Posts we addressed the question of why not use PDM software for all Configuration Management requirements, including those applications downstream of NPD engineering in aftermarket service, repair, maintenance, and overhaul. A question CMstat received afterwards was about the differences between design-centric PDM software…

(Part 3 of 3) In our third and final post on “why not use PDM for all CM requirements” we will discuss the three most common strategies over the years for providing configuration management capabilities to users across the OEM enterprise, as well as throughout the supply and service chain. The approaches summarized below…

(Part 2 of 3) In our last CMsights post we began to unpack a question we hear frequently: why can’t we just use existing PDM software for all of our hardware configuration management software requirements, including those uses downstream of product engineering in the supply or aftermarket service chains? Managing the…

(Part 1 of 3) A common question we hear from industry attendees at conferences and workshops is “why can’t I just use our Product Data Management PDM software to satisfy all of our Configuration Management CM needs." The answer we at CMstat typically respond with is an honest “yes you…

One of the more frequent observations that we at CMstat takeaway after meeting with a prospective customer in the A&D industry is the lack of awareness in the job function of those who manage the delivery of CDRL data and documentation to their own customers. While some managers may be…

While recently speaking with the CM manager at an A&D site I asked what type of users did they have of their CM software. The response was that there were some doing a lot of work, but most didn’t do much at all! After my shock from this answer, it…

In our last CMsights post we listed the “Top Ten Requirements” of configuration management software (CM) solutions that CMstat has heard most often from CM practitioners over our many years in business. They were presented in no particular order because their relative importance varies greatly across different industries, product lines…

In CMstat’s recent whitepaper on “Nimble Configuration Management for the Contract Supply & Service Chain” we shared the top CM requirements for hardware configuration management heard most often over our twenty-plus years of supporting customers in the A&D industry. They are: Intuitive and easily mastered in everyday use by the...

CMstat has published a new whitepaper on Nimble Hardware Configuration Management for the A&D Contract Supply and Service Chain. This paper examines how the needs of hardware configuration management professionals working in the supply and aftermarket service chains of industries like A&D are different from those CM needs of product...

Configuration Management (CM) is an important function that has often been used to justify investment in PLM by industry. Ironically, however, CM was often not deployed until near the end of many enterprise-wide implementations that often consumed years of planning, budget, and…

The world of “Deliverables” encompasses a number of items. The classic A&D CDRL/SDRL, Internal Tasking, Subcontractors Deliverables, Government Regulatory Requirements. Watch this video to see how EPOCH DM automates processes, increases deliverable quality and on-time performance, reduces errors and ultimately adds to the bottom line…