Project manager with quality assurance J Duhovnik, J Tavear and J Koporec The management system presented in the paper allows the generation and control of documentation flow throughout the whole manufacturing process, from all design levels to manufacturing. Using the method of quality assurance, a useful management system has been developed that covers cooperative work between different departments, clear responsibilities, the description of procedures for documentation manipulation etc. The suggested project manager allows a user-friendly implementation of quality assurance in the development~design phases. Using a method of systematic design that includesiterative processing, systematic identification of documents is allowed, and the integration of CAD with ctM is facilitated. The systematic identification is based on a natural classification throughout all the design levels; a special language is used which involves human communications terms. An important feature of the system is that the project has a clear structure. More documentation can be generated by the CAO system, and this system or a similar system is a necessary part of every enterprise. The project manager has been successfully applied in industry. project manager, CUD, CnM, classification, quafity assurance, ISO 9000, design levels, identification The ISO 9000 series of standards I provides guidelines and specifications for quality systems. By analyzing the standards, we realize that quality assurance is, in fact, a very good managementsystem. Global change in organizations cannot be achieved in a short period of time. We have to tackle problems in a systematic way, and analyze each one from the global-level viewpoint. Figure 1 shows a quality loop (see the 1S0 9004 standard2). The quality system requires the interaction of all activities pertinent to the quality of a product. It Laboratory of Computer Aided Design, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 61000 Ljubljana, Asker~va 6, Slovenia Paper received: 27 February 1992. Revised: 28 September 1992 involves all phases, from the initial identification to the final satisfaction of requirements and customer expec- tations. We cannot say which phase is more important. However, interactive activities between the marketing and design departments should be emphasized. Quick answers are needed to determine customer needs and product requirements. The product development, the concepts, and all the technical documentation must be considered. They drive the whole loop. By introducingCAD, we have the opportunity to arrange many ISO 9000 requirements in a more user-friendly way. The computer-aided generation of documentation opens up a new dimension. Thus the product development can be accelerated to provide a quick response to the market. The process requires the continuous improvement of old products, and results in their being only a short time between the conception of an idea and the launch of a new product on the market. The system provides a solution for the whole process from concept to realization, and the possibility of integration of CAO/CAM with crM. A new level of quality is attained for the whole system, and it provides a way of including quality assurance in the CAD process. The paper focuses on the representation of a part of the quality loop which is essential for the existence of the enterprise. The project management system is analyzed in the CAD process in its development/design phase. What are the main problems relating to the generation of technicaldocumentation? The process is usually spread over the enterprise. Between different departments (e.g. the design office, the process-planning department and the quality-assurance department), there is only a weak information connection, causing work to be done twice and mistakes. It is very important that the identification of the product and all the relevant documents remainsunchanged throughoutthe whole lifecycle. The identification should allow an easy transfer of each element among standard parts, if necessary. The use of various CAD modellers without the use of systematic approach cannot provide the expected results. The usual problem is the maintenance of the documentation (i.e. the entering of corrections). volume 25 number 5 may 1993 0010-4485/93/050311-10 © 1993 Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd 311