ABSTRACT
At the onset of the study, the level of detail must be decided. Sometimes it is obvious from the application or intended use. In other circumstances, there will be several options to choose. These will range from generic study to one that is very product or process specific. Most life cycle studies fall between these two extremes. Even at the product-specific study level the company can determine whether their need can be met by one of the following approaches:
• Full scale life cycle • Partial life cycle • Individual stages or processes
The partial life cycle approach consists of several stages. This allows for stages to be omitted if they have been studied before and are static for purposes of this study. The life cycle analysis can also be limited to specific stages or processes. This would be the case if a new process is being considered or if the product finds another use or market.
