Complex systems development requirements - PDM and SCM integration

Software is being increasingly incorporated into increasingly extensive industrial and other applications. There is a demand for total control of entire applications including their software components. As a consequence, the development procedure, production operations and maintenance, previously separate processes, are being integrated in comprehensive process systems. In the integration of these processes, many difficulties are encountered because of the different natures of the processes and the different approaches made to the problem. In the integration process, many activities overlap and much data is duplicated, thus making a complex process even more complex. software configuration management (SCM) and product data management (PDM) which are used to solve similar problems in different ways are examples of overlapping processes. Attempts to integrate SCM and PDM systems to obtain a more efficient development process have not proved particularly successful. The paper analyses the main characteristics of SCM and PDM, development processes that are PDM- or SCM-centered, their common characteristics and their differences. The problems encountered when using both systems are analyzed. An analysis of the possible integration of these systems is presented and the potential benefits and problems involved in such integration are discussed.