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Engineering Document Release Authority

Engineering released Rev C. Production floor still using Rev B. That mismatch? Eliminated at the work order level.

Solution Overview

Engineering released Rev C. Production floor still using Rev B. That mismatch? Eliminated at the work order level. This solution is part of our Productivity domain and can be deployed in 2-4 weeks using our proven tech stack.

Industries

This solution is particularly suited for:

Aerospace Automotive Medical Device

The Need

Engineering documentation is the blueprint for manufacturing. Specifications, drawings, engineering calculations, test procedures, design analyses, and release notes define how products must be built, tested, and verified. In aerospace, automotive, and medical device manufacturing, these documents have the force of contract: production must follow the released specification exactly. Yet controlling which version of a document is currently valid—and ensuring that obsolete versions are no longer used—remains one of the most challenging problems in manufacturing compliance.

The core challenge is that engineering documents have complex lifecycles. An engineering drawing moves through a series of states: draft (under development, not yet released), released (approved for production), and superseded (replaced by a newer version, should no longer be used). But the system must distinguish between "release for engineering review only" (for feedback, not yet valid for production) and "official production release" (manufacturers and suppliers must build to this specification). The problem multiplies when documents reference other documents. A drawing for an assembly specifies components that have their own drawings; a process specification references multiple drawings; a production BOM references part numbers that correspond to drawings. If one drawing is released and another is superseded, the entire document tree must be consistent. Inconsistent release states create cascading errors: production may build to a specification that references a superseded drawing, quality may be inspecting against specifications that are no longer valid, and suppliers may be working from old documentation without knowing that newer versions exist.

The financial consequences are severe. Uncontrolled document releases cause production delays when manufacturing discovers that the drawing they're following has been superseded and they must restart work. Design errors that slip through inadequate release review processes result in scrap or rework when production discovers issues. For aerospace and medical device manufacturers, regulatory investigations occur when auditors discover that products were manufactured to specifications that don't match the officially released versions. A medical device manufacturer was audited by FDA inspectors who discovered that some units were manufactured using a drawing revision that was never officially released—the production team thought it was released based on an informal email, but the official release repository showed a different revision. The resulting warning letter required remediation of all affected units (inventory write-off: $2.3 million) plus regulatory fines. The root cause: no enforced document release process.

Manufacturing organizations attempt to solve this with email notifications, change control meetings, and shared drives. None of these approaches are audit-proof or technically enforced. Email notifications get lost or overlooked. Shared drives accumulate both old and new versions with no clear indication of which is current. Release meetings document decisions in meeting minutes, but minutes are not equivalent to official system records for regulatory audits. When an auditor asks "Show me the officially released version of drawing EN-2024-1567 as of 2024-06-15," the organization cannot reliably produce that evidence if releases are managed through informal processes.

The Idea

An Engineering Document Release system transforms document control from chaotic, audit-vulnerable email-driven processes into disciplined, automated, and regulatory-compliant workflows. The system provides centralized control over engineering document release states, enforces release rules, manages document dependencies, and integrates with manufacturing systems to ensure production uses only officially released specifications.

When an engineer completes a document (drawing, specification, procedure) and determines it is ready for production use, they request a formal release. The system does not allow engineers to release their own documents—release authority is strictly separated from document creation. The engineer submits the document with a release justification: "This is the first release of drawing EN-2024-1567 (Component assembly A). It supersedes previous informal specification described in email 2024-05-10. All design reviews complete, design review approval attached as artifact EN-2024-1567-DR-APPROVAL." The system automatically checks for completeness: Are all referenced drawings already released, or are they part of this same release batch? Are all design review approvals documented? Are all approvers identified?

A designated release authority (engineering manager, quality manager, or release engineer) reviews the release request. For simple releases (first issue of a non-critical drawing), the review is quick: verify that the document is correct and complete. For complex releases (changes to existing drawings or specifications that already exist in production), the review includes impact analysis: this drawing is currently being used in 47 active production orders; releasing a new version will require all future orders to use the new specification; are there inventory or supplier implications? The release authority can approve the release, request additional information, or reject the release if it does not meet standards.

Once approved, the document moves to "officially released" state. The system records: exact document content (the full file, not a reference), document number and revision (e.g., EN-2024-1567 revision 1.0), release date and time, approver identity and digital signature, all referenced documents and their revisions, and change history explaining what changed from the previous release. For aerospace and medical device compliance, the system can generate a release certification: "I hereby certify that drawing EN-2024-1567 revision 1.0 was officially released on 2024-11-15 at 14:35 by Sarah Johnson, Engineering Manager. The document is approved for use in production. It supersedes all previous versions of this engineering specification. No other versions are authorized for production use."

The system enforces document dependency consistency. If a drawing specifies a component that has its own drawing, the system requires that the component drawing is already released or is being released as part of the same batch. If the component drawing is later superseded (a new revision is released), the system flags the parent drawing as potentially affected: "Drawing EN-2024-1567 references component drawing EN-2024-1568 revision 1.0. Component drawing EN-2024-1568 has been superseded by revision 1.1. Action: Review whether parent drawing should reference the new revision or remain pointing to revision 1.0."

Effectivity management is automatic. When a new version of a document is released, the previous version is automatically marked "superseded." The system shows the transition point exactly: "EN-2024-1567 revision 1.0 released 2024-11-15, marked superseded 2024-12-01 when revision 1.1 released." Manufacturing systems are notified: "New specification for component A is now the official released specification. All new production orders use EN-2024-1567 revision 1.1. Existing orders that were started under revision 1.0 continue to use revision 1.0 (see effectivity rules)."

The system enforces release state consistency across manufacturing. Production cannot create a new order referencing a drawing that is not in "officially released" state. Quality cannot create an inspection procedure referencing a drawing that is not officially released. Suppliers cannot receive purchase orders that reference drawings not in officially released state. This prevents the most dangerous scenario: production teams working from obsolete specifications because the official release system was bypassed.

For regulated industries, the system generates audit-ready evidence. A regulatory audit requesting "Show me all drawings and specifications used to manufacture batch XYZ from 2024-06-01 to 2024-06-30" returns: exact revision numbers and release dates of all documents used, approval records showing who authorized each release, change history from previous revisions, and traceability linking manufactured units to the specific document releases that were in effect during their production. This creates regulatory-proof evidence that manufacturing operated under officially approved specifications.

Integration with engineering change order (ECO) systems creates complete traceability from change to release. When an engineering change is approved, it triggers a document release task: "ECO-2024-1567 approved. Drawing EN-2024-1568 requires new release incorporating change." The system tracks: change initiated by engineer, change approved by ECN authority, document updated per change, release requested by engineer, release approved by release authority. This creates an unbroken chain of control and approval.

How It Works

flowchart TD A[Engineer Creates/
Revises Document] --> B[Document in
Draft State] B --> C[Engineer Completes
Review & Testing] C --> D[Engineer Submits
Release Request] D --> E[System Checks
Dependencies] E --> F{All Referenced
Documents
Released?} F -->|No| G[Request Dependency
Resolution] G --> D F -->|Yes| H[Route to Release
Authority for Review] H --> I[Release Authority
Verifies Document
Correctness] I --> J{Release
Approved?} J -->|No| K[Request Revisions
from Engineer] K --> C J -->|Yes| L[Document Officially
Released] L --> M[Record Release Date,
Authority, Signature] M --> N[Archive Previous
Version as Superseded] N --> O[Notify Manufacturing
& Suppliers] O --> P[Production Uses
Released Version] P --> Q[Quality Inspects
to Released Spec] Q --> R[Document Complete
With Full Audit Trail] R --> S{Engineering
Change
Requested?} S -->|Yes| A S -->|No| T[Document Remains
in Released State]

Engineering document release workflow from creation through release authority review, digital signature approval, dependency validation, supersession of previous versions, and automatic notification to manufacturing and quality systems.

The Technology

All solutions run on the IoTReady Operations Traceability Platform (OTP), designed to handle millions of data points per day with sub-second querying. The platform combines an integrated OLTP + OLAP database architecture for real-time transaction processing and powerful analytics.

Deployment options include on-premise installation, deployment on your cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), or fully managed IoTReady-hosted solutions. All deployment models include identical enterprise features.

OTP includes built-in backup and restore, AI-powered assistance for data analysis and anomaly detection, integrated business intelligence dashboards, and spreadsheet-style data exploration. Role-based access control ensures appropriate information visibility across your organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an engineering document release process and why do manufacturers need it?
An engineering document release process is the formal, controlled system for approving and publishing engineering drawings, specifications, and procedures that manufacturing must follow. It's essential because manufacturing documents have the force of contract: products must be built exactly according to the released specification. Without a formal release process, production may work from outdated or unapproved drawings, quality may inspect against wrong specifications, and suppliers may use incorrect drawings—all creating regulatory risk, scrap, rework, and compliance failures. Regulated industries like aerospace, automotive, and medical devices specifically require documented release authority and audit trails showing exactly which document versions were used during production.
How do engineering change orders (ECOs) and engineering change notices (ECNs) work with document release?
Engineering change orders and notices are formal requests to modify existing engineering documents or designs. When an ECO/ECN is approved, it typically requires updating the affected drawings, specifications, or procedures, and then releasing the updated versions for production use. The best practice is to create an unbroken chain of control: change initiated → change approved by change authority → document updated per change requirements → updated document submitted for release → release authority reviews and approves. This creates complete traceability from the original change request through final production release, which is critical for regulatory audits. Many organizations struggle because change approvals exist in one system while document releases happen in another, creating audit gaps where the connection between change and release isn't documented.
What's the difference between 'released for review' and 'released for production'?
Released for review means the document is available for feedback and comments—it's an engineering tool for gathering input but is not yet officially approved for manufacturing. Released for production (sometimes called 'officially released' or 'approved for production') means the document has received final approval from release authority, is digitally signed, and manufacturing must use this version. This distinction is critical because engineers often share documents informally with manufacturing for visibility, but those informal shares are not official releases. Manufacturing teams can then mistakenly believe a 'for review' version is the official specification. A robust release system enforces this distinction and prevents production from using any document that isn't in 'officially released' state.
How does revision control work in engineering document management?
Revision control in engineering is more complex than software version control because engineering documents have specific regulatory and manufacturing implications. Each time a document is officially released, it receives a new revision number (e.g., revision 1.0, 1.1, 2.0). The document management system must track and archive every single revision, including what changed from the previous revision (change history). When a new revision is released, the previous revision is marked 'superseded' so manufacturing knows it's no longer valid. However, older revisions must remain accessible for audit trails, so if a question arises about why a product was built to a certain specification in 2024, auditors can retrieve the exact revision that was in effect during production. The system must also enforce consistency: if drawing A references drawing B revision 1.0, and drawing B is later updated to revision 1.1, the system flags that drawing A might now be using an outdated specification.
What happens when a released drawing is superseded? How do we manage existing production orders?
When a new revision of a drawing is released, the previous revision is automatically marked 'superseded.' But here's the complexity: production orders that were already started under the old revision may continue using that revision (this is called 'effectivity')—you don't force mid-production changes. However, all new production orders going forward must use the new released version. The system must distinguish between 'orders effective under revision 1.0' and 'orders effective under revision 1.1' and prevent new orders from accidentally using the old, now-superseded version. Many manufacturers discover this problem the hard way when auditors ask about a batch that was manufactured using a drawing revision that was never the 'currently released' version, only an intermediate one. A proper document release system enforces these rules automatically and creates audit evidence showing which revision was in effect for which production orders.
How can I prove to regulators that products were manufactured to officially approved specifications?
Regulatory auditors (FDA for medical devices, FAA for aerospace, ITAR oversight for defense) specifically ask to see evidence that products were manufactured according to officially approved specifications. They want to trace: product batch XYZ → production order created on date ABC → production order referenced drawing EN-1234 revision 5.0 → drawing EN-1234 revision 5.0 was officially released on date DEF by authorized release authority (named person, digital signature) → design history showing what changed from previous revisions. If this traceability is missing, auditors issue warnings and non-conformances. An engineering document release system generates this evidence automatically: every release is recorded with timestamp, approver identity, digital signature, and all documents are archived so that historical audit questions can be answered. For FDA compliance (21 CFR Part 11) and aerospace (AS9100), the system provides cryptographically signed, immutable records that cannot be disputed.
What are the risks of managing document releases through email or shared drives?
Email and shared drive approaches create multiple risks: (1) No enforcement—engineers can share documents without formal approval, and manufacturing won't know if what they received is official; (2) Version confusion—multiple versions exist in email threads and shared folders, and it's unclear which is current; (3) No audit trail—if regulators ask who approved which version when, you can't reliably answer; (4) Informal supersession—when a new version exists, the old version isn't formally marked superseded, so production might still use it; (5) Change gap—design changes are approved in one system while releases happen in email, breaking the change-to-release traceability; (6) Supplier chaos—suppliers receive drawings via email and can't tell if they're receiving new versions or old ones. The financial and regulatory consequences are severe: FDA warnings for non-compliance ($2M+ remediation), production delays when manufacturing discovers they're using wrong specifications, scrap when quality identifies drawings that don't match current specifications, and unending audit questions.

Deployment Model

Rapid Implementation

2-4 week implementation with our proven tech stack. Get up and running quickly with minimal disruption.

Your Infrastructure

Deploy on your servers with Docker containers. You own all your data with perpetual license - no vendor lock-in.

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