ABSTRACT
The outcome of design activities is paperwork and not a product—as popularly believed. The role of this team is to develop a detailed concept and a process through which teams in organizations such as procurement may buy the raw material; and, organizations such as manufacturing may fabricate a product based on this detailed concept. For this reason, it is important that ample time is given to documentation and providing information for the individuals who would be involved in sustaining the product and provide support. Should proper documentation not be maintained, product knowledge and information becomes tribal knowledge. This knowledge is lost when people move about either by retirement, different career paths, or attrition. A systems approach to product development always advocates preserving and maintaining product knowledge and information. In this chapter, various elements of preserving design details including decisions made are discussed.
