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I want to provide my client with a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Product Data Management (PDM) style package of all the documentation related to the project (in house user manual for their technical writers to use as reference, board bring documentation, Test campaign docs, etc...), Hardware files (release verision of schematics, gerbers, etc..), datasheets and parts list (BOM), and finally release binaries.

Is there any good software geared towards small design studios (I have a 4 person group...with often only 2 people on a project). So far I have only found enterprise level PLM/PDM software that goes way over board for what I need.

And yes, I know, I could just make a folder with all that stuff and just zip it. But there are lots of reasons why that is not the greatest solution. :P

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4 Answers 4

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It sounds like you're more interested in the release packaging than PLM. Just putting all the files together isn't a bad solution. It works for a lot of projects! With a few caveats and policies, it can be a fine solution.

I'd recommend that it start with a version control system, not a plain folder on disk. It should also have a well-defined, well-planned structure. This can be changed, but I'd recommend starting every project with the same basic structure. For four people, doing what sounds like standard embedded system design, I don't think this will get out of hand.

There are other things that you'll want to control besides the release, however, and a bug tracking/feature request tool will be required somewhere in the system. There are plenty of those available. I've used Redmine.

I work at a company with 5000 employees, and while we use the PLM/PDM bundled with various tools as much as we have to, our day-to-day development and product management is done through a combination of a few Subversion repositories and Redmine.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I have seen the light of subversion, and it is amazing. It makes releases very easy for us. Good comments make tracking bugs and such a breeze also. \$\endgroup\$
    – Kortuk
    Commented Mar 18, 2011 at 7:14
  • \$\begingroup\$ The answer is good (exactly what I would write myself), but I would recommend Git over Subversion any day. See stackoverflow.com/questions/871/… \$\endgroup\$ Commented Mar 18, 2011 at 8:31
  • \$\begingroup\$ @trygvis - I agree as well, but (1) when we picked a VCS, Git wasn't available, and (2) Subversion is centralized, and we have a great company LAN that's super-fast, always up, and has lots of storage that's backed up by professionals, letting me focus on working. We want centralized control over the data, and Git is distributed. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Mar 18, 2011 at 14:19
  • \$\begingroup\$ You will still have a single authoritative repository with a distributed model, it just give you much more flexibility and much faster local operations. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Mar 18, 2011 at 16:23
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Use a check-list.

List all the files or documents that your client will need. At the end of the project, go through the check-list and mark off each item as you move it to the final folder that will be zipped up for the client.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ No wonder embedded products are expensive if you do all the work by hand. Not that I like the work flow, but event if you did your answer could easily be automated. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Mar 18, 2011 at 9:25
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http://www.arenasolutions.com/

Not quite what I want, (too BOM oriented and too enterprise) but getting closer.

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Have you looked into PDX? It's an XML-based file standard. If you have access to a PDM or PLM system, and are putting your files together, I would recommend exporting the build package (including BOM data, AML, AVL, change data) as a PDX and then sending your recipient the PDX package via email along with a link to a PDX Viewer. Arena offers a great (free) PDXViewer that makes it easy to view PDX files exported from any PLM, PDM or other business system.

Here's a link to info re: PDXViewer - http://blog.arenasolutions.com/arena-pdx-viewer/ And here's a link to the PDX Viewer itself - http://www.arenasolutions.com/pdxviewer/

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  • \$\begingroup\$ interesting! I think this might be the answer (or as close as reality can get) \$\endgroup\$
    – michael
    Commented Feb 10, 2012 at 14:47

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