Engineering Information Management Dan McClung V I Engineering, Inc. General Manager Engineering Information Management dmcclung@viengineering.com (248)705-8644
Delivering Test Solutions for 12 years Automated Test and Measurement Systems National Instruments Select Alliance Partner Automotive, Life Sciences, Aerospace, Heavy Equipment, DoD Durability Test, Functional Test From R&D, Design, Prototyping, and to Production Detroit, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Los Angeles VISTA Professional Software Engineering Practices Configuration and Project Management Tools LabVIEW Productivity Tools Process Consulting Advanced Design Training
Objectives: To define EIM and the problem set it addresses To present use cases illustrating how companies have benefited from EIM solutions To offer ideas on how to implement an EIM solution and explain the high ROI possible with these solutions
Costs of Ineffective Data Management Highly paid people are spending too much time going through stuff - AMR Research Analyst 2002 Facts Employees spend an average of 2.5 hours per day searching for data 35-50% of information available is not centrally indexed A Group of 5 people, each paid $75,000 per year, will spend over $100,000 per year searching for data What s the Lack of Engineering Information Management Costing You?
Engineering Information Management Promoting efficiencies throughout the design and testing process Faster, Easier, Access to Engineering Data Automate Analysis tasks and Reporting Traceability/Configuration Management Build Institutional Knowledge Tight Integration with Business Systems Efficient Resource Management
Current State of Affairs Productivity Loss Fragmented, Inaccessible Information Ad-Hoc Analysis Methods Wheel Reinvention Poor Traceability Warranty / Liability / Recall Revisions / Builds Retesting Poor Decision Making Lack Of Big Picture Ineffective System
Audience Survey
Question #1 How do you search for test results within your organization? a) Central repository with search capability b) Shared network drive with file naming strategy c) We struggle to find test data
Question #2 How much time does your team spend searching for information? a) 10% b) 20% c) 30% d) 40%
Question #3 How much time and effort does your team spend processing and analyzing test data before a final report is generated? a) Manual process, automation could make a large impact b) Manual process, automation could help marginally c) Varies, each person or area has their own techniques d) Very little, processes are automated
Customer Solution Examples
Cummins, Inc. DIAdem standard for corporate analysis tools DIAdem based custom toolbox Leverages best practices 90% productivity gain through automation Corporate taxonomy Universal naming conventions Standard engineering units Standard file types
Cummins, Inc. Previous Flow Before DIAdem.TXT Acq.bin Conv.CSV PSD (approximate PSD).TXT Chart in Excel Report in PowerPoint Convert Report to.pdf Engine 1 Week 2 Weeks (40 hours).txt New Flow with DIAdem Engine Acq.bin DIAdem Automation.TXT.PDF Report 90% Improvement 1 Week 4 Hours 90% Improvement
IMATIS DIAdem Reporting Engine Scientific analysis and reporting for LIMS Allows administrator to develop templates and custom channel selection Role based privileges for reporting Users can request standard reports or ad-hoc Demonstration
Automotive OEM Safety Data Analysis System Service for engineers across safety test systems for reporting Reports automatically generated Supports hundreds of users Quick plot clients for data verification COM+ controller allows external control of DIAdem Queuing, load balancing J2EE, BEA Weblogic, Oracle, DIAdem Demonstration
USCAR ATD Tracking, Verification and Inventory Management. Complete traceability of all ATD related activities Web-based search and reporting DIAdem automated analysis and report generation Data Driven managed by process owners, not IT DIAdem, ASP, SQL, & Visual C++ Integration
Takata ASL Supports Entire Technical Center Engineering, R&D, Prototype Build & Testing, Chemical Lab Centrally Managed Web based build and test request Search capability Traceability Error proofing Automated report generation COM+ controller Ad-hoc reporting
Ford Motor Company Full TRECS suite used across safety labs Barrier, HYGE, Decel Sled, Component labs Used internationally 250 users DIAdem based analysis and reporting
Steps for Implementation
Suggestions for Progress Select a project small enough to achieve quick success to demonstrate the benefits of effective EIM Build management consensus Prove quick ROI Showcase visible improvement Solicit feedback from end-user community Ensures usability and buy-in Select common tools and architectures Use COTS where possible We advocate COTS, and then evaluate BUILD options
Project ROI Example Design Validation Test cycles are about 3 months long with 1-2 months downtime in between cycles This leads to a DVT cycle being in process 8 months out of a year. Test technicians spend 90% of their time manipulating data and preparing reports and 10% of time setting up tests. Most of the 90% of their time is spent is determining the charting and reporting for their customer. Data is manipulated and analyzed using Excel, not a professional engineering or scientific tool and little automation (macros) is used. Engineers spend 10% of their time searching for comparison data during a Design Validation Test cycle.
Project ROI Example If this system was able to save engineers just 50% of the time searching for data and a burdened rate of $120/hr per engineer is assumed: 40 engineers x (50% savings x 10% effected time of 1880hrs/yr) x $120/hr = $ 451,200/yr If this system was able to save technicians just 40% of the time spent manipulating data and preparing reports and a burdened rate of $90/hr is considered: 30 technicians x (40% savings x 90% effected time of 1880hrs/yr) x $90/hr = $ 1,827,360/yr
V I Engineering s Unique Perspective Our Test Domain Knowledge Sets Us Apart in a Space Crowded with Non-differentiated IT Companies Understanding of test activities and the challenges that face teams of test engineers and technicians Understanding of IT technology professionals, practices, and processes
EIM Products and Services Offerings Resellers and Integration Specialists for COTS National Instruments - DIAdem Automated Analysis, Visualization and Reporting CARDIAC Laboratory Information Management System RSS Solutions Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software SigmaQuest Global Product Performance Intelligence Solutions Typically Built on Above Tools/Frameworks as well as custom Specification and System Architecture Database Design Web Portal Design
Conclusion Promotes efficiencies throughout the design and testing process Foster Collaboration Faster, Easier, Access to Engineering Data Automate Analysis Tasks and Reporting Traceability/Configuration Management Build Institutional Knowledge Leading to Engineering Intelligence
Questions?