Engineering File Jungle

[T_Goofy]

Hi everyone,
I am new here but hope it's the right place for my kind of rather general question: we recently completed a project (10 people working together in different time-zones). Reviewing our activities for continuous improvement, I noted that we had created a total mess file-wise on the shared folder: hundreds of files with names like <sometext>_0.8, <sometext>_0.9, <projectname>_TS-20190512, and so on.

We had some problems finding the right files at the right moment - I remember conversations like "do you still have the design with <some feature>?" Answer: "it must be in one of the older files named <sometext> or so done by <someguy>... He is asleep right now, but I will try to find it after lunch." ... followed by 30min frantic opening and closing of folders and files.

So here's my question: am I the only one with that problem? If not, does anyone have a best practice or tool that allows to find content easily in a shared folder? In an agile work environment, it is quite unlikely that we will have a very well organized file structure, so maybe someone has an idea how to quickly inspect a large number of CAD/Layout/etc. files for content, some search tool or similar...?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate your feedback!

 

[CWB1]

PLM software and templates are your friend if the project has more than a 2-3 folks working on it IME.

 

[T_Goofy]

Hi CWB1,
thanks for your quick answer! Which kind of templates would you suggest? Also, do you know a lightweight PLM solution for my specific problem? We used an agile approach to designing our solution - I have the feeling that PLM software would be a complete overkill - but maybe I'm completely wrong?

 

[FreddyNurk]

There is no quick and easy solution, even documenting and discussing how to operate in a shared folder is going to take time and effort.
A PLM that matches whatever development platform you're using is generally useful, albeit expensive and generally only tailored to that specific platform. An example would be Autodesk Inventor and Vault.

In terms of software development, git is pretty much the de-facto standard now, although there are other options such as fossil-scm.
For a document-centric approach there are options such as M-Files.

As a suggestion I'd start by reviewing what your requirements are for such a system. I'd also consider things like backup and disaster recovery, and how you manage to recover the supporting configuration from your file structure if needed.

EDMS Australia

 

[T_Goofy]

Hi FreddyNurk,
thanks for your quick answer! Never used Autodesk Vault - the Youtube videos look promising! Do you know if it is completely tied to Autodesks own files? Or could we in theory also use it to 'share'/'track' other content, such as electronics layouts done in e.g. Altium Designer? I will definitely have an in depth look at Vault - it might be a good solution to my problem. Hope the price is not exorbitant... .

 

[FreddyNurk]

As I mentioned, most of the proprietary platforms are generally tied to whatever their development system is, Vault is likely no exception.
I've not had any real experience in using it, its just an example.

Again, the most critical part (and to a certain extent, the part that takes the most time) is working out what you need it to do.
Does Altium have some sort of versioning or configuration management tool to support the Designer package? Do you need to just manage iterations of hardware design, or is there firmware and source code that also needs to be managed?

Do you need to track production runs by an identifier in case of defects / recalls or other issues?
What does your QA process require you to do?

EDMS Australia

 

[CWB1]

The entire purpose of PLM is to be the proverbial "catch-all" for managing project/product data, basically a combination database and file storage. For a given part number and revision/iteration/release you can enter/display basic fields tracking metrics like release status, cost, supplier, or whatever else you want. Usually on the same or a closely tied screen, you can also download any variety of file that was uploaded/tied to that specific p/n and rev so you see not only the part's history over time but also every specific file's as well. My various employers and customers have always used either Siemens Teamcenter or PTC Windchill as their one-safe-source, both operating very similarly and neither caring what files were uploaded. For a given rev I might see 3d CAD files, 2d prints, a FEA simulation results file, calcs spreadsheet, design review powerpoint, and/or other oddities like Altium files - I recognize them as my EEs occasionally also output a step file and ask for help designing board enclosures. Both pieces of software will even store their competitors' 3d modelers files, I'm currently using a combination of PTC Creo, Siemans NX, and Dassault CATIA/Solidworks all stored in Teamcenter and oddly enough used a combinaton of NX and Creo with Windchill at a previous employer. Regardless...my understanding is that PLMs dont care what you store in them nor who its by.

The other beauty of PLM is that it expedites process for cross-functional teams. To release a part I often need approval from a variety of engineering disciplines, management, drafting, CAE, manufacturing/quality/shop folks, etc. Within PLM I create a simple workflow (basically an interactive flowchart for approvals), everybody sees the same files, and everybody sees who has/hasnt signed off. Anybody can do similar to simplify pushing through ECRs or any other process within engineering, the shop, or any other dept bc any file or bit of data for a specific part can go into PLM.

As to templates, I am a fan of engineering depts having a template (with integrated instructions!) for every bit of documentation and process they require. For example, if a project needs a FMEA and the assigned engineers havent completed one in a few years it should be a simple matter of opening the template, reading the instructions, and filling out the form. The same goes for presentations, if you expect different content for different types of reviews then use different templates to simplify everybody's work. A technical design review template might be a powerpoint with a cover slide and agenda/instructions slide showing 1. ME, 2. EE, 3. software, 4. safety, etc whereas a product gateway/release template might be the same cover slide and an agenda showing 1. marketing, 2. engineering, 3. testing, 4. budget, 5. timeline, etc. The little bit of standardization doesnt seem like much but we spend enough time and energy worrying over technical details, the last thing we need is to waste more of either on silly details like who to include in a review, how a process should be completed, or creating forms from scratch.