Product Lifecycle is an integral part of Engineering Design and Product Development.  Being aware of the entire lifecycle of a product or process allows management, designers, engineers, manufacturers, and even marketing to approach products from a holistic standpoint.  Often this means that all the teams working on delivering that product can work concurrently to achieve:

  • a more efficient product development process.
  • concurrent development and collaboration with product/project teams.
  • shorter product-to-market timeline.
  • improved traceability of product development and usage
  • offer better design revisions when developing product successors.


Phase 1: Conceive

Imagine, specify, plan, innovate

The first stage in idea is the definition of its requirements based on customer, company, market and regulatory bodies’ viewpoints. From this specification of the products major technical parameters can be defined. Parallel to the requirements specification the initial concept design work is carried out defining the aesthetics of the product together with its main functional aspects. For the industrial design, Styling, work many different media are used from pencil and paper, clay models to 3D CAID computer-aided industrial design software.

In some concepts, the investment of resources into research or analysis-of-options may be included in the conception phase – e.g. bringing the technology to a level of maturity sufficent to move to the next phase. However, life-cycle engineering is iterative. It is always possible that something doesn’t work well in any phase enough to back up into a prior phase – perhaps all the way back to conception or research. There are many examples to draw from.

Phase 2: Design

Describe, define, develop, test, analyze and validate

This is where the detailed design and development of the product’s form starts, progressing to prototype testing, through pilot release to full product launch. It can also involve redesign and ramp for improvement to existing products as well as planned obsolescence. The main tool used for design and development is CAD. This can be simple 2D drawing / drafting or 3D parametric feature based solid/surface modeling. Such software includes technology such as Hybrid Modeling, Reverse Engineering, KBE (knowledge-based engineering), NDT (Nondestructive testing), Assembly construction.

This step covers many engineering disciplines including: mechanical, electrical, electronic, software (embedded), and domain-specific, such as architectural, aerospace, automotive, … Along with the actual creation of geometry there is the analysis of the components and product assemblies. Simulation, validation and optimization tasks are carried out using CAE (computer-aided engineering) software either integrated in the CAD package or stand-alone. These are used to perform tasks such as:- Stress analysis, FEA (finite element analysis); kinematics; computational fluid dynamics (CFD); and mechanical event simulation (MES). CAQ (computer-aided quality) is used for tasks such as Dimensional tolerance (engineering) analysis. Another task performed at this stage is the sourcing of bought out components, possibly with the aid of procurement systems.

Phase 3: Realize

Manufacture, make, build, procure, produce, sell and deliver

Once the design of the product’s components is complete the method of manufacturing is defined. This includes CAD tasks such as tool design; creation of CNC Machining instructions for the product’s parts as well as tools to manufacture those parts, using integrated or separate CAM computer-aided manufacturing software. This will also involve analysis tools for process simulation for operations such as casting, molding, and die press forming. Once the manufacturing method has been identified CPM comes into play. This involves CAPE (computer-aided production engineering) or CAP/CAPP – (production planning) tools for carrying out factory, plant and facility layout and production simulation. For example: press-line simulation; and industrial ergonomics; as well as tool selection management. Once components are manufactured their geometrical form and size can be checked against the original CAD data with the use of computer-aided inspection equipment and software. Parallel to the engineering tasks, sales product configuration and marketing documentation work will be taking place. This could include transferring engineering data (geometry and part list data) to a web based sales configurator and other desktop publishing systems.

Phase 4: Service

Use, operate, maintain, support, sustain, phase-out, retire, recycle and disposal

The final phase of the lifecycle involves managing of in service information. Providing customers and service engineers with support information for repair and maintenance, as well as waste management/recycling information. This involves using tools such as Maintenance, Repair and Operations Management (MRO) software.

It is easy to forget that there is an end-of-life to every product. Whether it be disposal or destruction of material objects or information, this needs to be considered since it may not be free from ramifications.

Source: wikipedia

Product lifecycle management is primarily an information management exercise and as such there are several companies offering software solutions for this:

  • Solidworks Enterprise PDM
  • Seimens PDM

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