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Introduction
The process of creating an efficient document control can product major cost benefits in the area of cycle time while integrating the document control process through the Design, Materials, Construction/Manufacturing, and Project Planning and Control functions and tracks a document from creation to destruction. It will ensure that the correct design revisions, design standards, codes/regulations, test, and customer specification requirements are available at the current revision level when needed.

Engineering documents include drawings, bills of material, material specifications, design and performance calculations, relevant codes, specifications, inspection and test reports. Commercial documents include supplier/vendor documents and standard forms. The entire package of documents required to support a work package must be available before the work begins in the office, shop, or field. These documents must therefore be scheduled and tracked to support the completion of an element of work in a timely and accurate manner.

To satisfy these requirements, a formal Document Control system must be established for all major documents. This system must have the capability to automatically track and support online inquiries about the status of supporting documents. In addition, automatic notification to affected areas must be provided when a design change is initiated to ensure all of the necessary supporting actions are taken. Due to the large number of documents, extreme care must be taken in the development of this system to ensure ease of data input and use, or the complexity will prevent wide-scale use and acceptance.

Integrated Document Management
In today's non-integrated systems environment, technical personnel spend a significant amount of time looking for data, drawings, and technical specifications required to do their work. The impact of reduced work quality and increased time due this is even more significant. In the competitive world markets; quality, cost and rapid delivery times are no longer options - they are requirements.

The integrated systems environment is characterized by a disciplined approach where the correct information is readily available to quickly and efficiently do the job right the first time. This allows the designers and technicians to fully explore previous operating experience, customer requirements, and total cost implications of alternatives. To achieve this environment, the design function must be carefully evaluated and the identified requirements implemented in an integrated systems environment.

By enhancing and developing new applications and creating data bases which contain the shared design data, businesses will be able to shorten the cycle time (calendar days) required for the design process. The systems need to continually move towards the vision that anyone can access any required information (with proper security and management controls). This represents a significant change from the current situation and must occur over a period of time. It is important to first standardize the hardware and software platforms, then design the shared data bases. Once this is accomplished, the applications can be designed and developed.

Historically, design capabilities within businesses have focused on isolated "islands of automation" due to the paper-based method of information exchange. The systems recommended in this report will move to an online information exchange among the design groups. As this evolves, further opportunities will occur by linking the data bases with new expert systems. Parametric design systems (where the design rules are captured and the drawing, bill of material and process plans are output) must also be evaluated. These systems have the potential to make conventional software applications, where a "rule based" repetitive design is required, obsolete. Their implications must be evaluated before a final commitment is made to conventional software applications.

It is necessary to implement a mechanism to control all information created in the design process. This controlling mechanism will serve as the configuration management function for all design data residing at multiple project locations. The document control project as defined in "Project Planning and Control" will be critical to control the engineering design work which is regarded as released and also to give other groups the capability to access the most recent work related to any analysis or design results. Security will be the key to ensuring that only authorized groups can update the design data. Thus, all of the projects outlined here will need to address the configuration management issues in order to achieve the key benefits. In addition all information must be accurate and easily obtainable by the proper engineering disciplines