Key Decision Record Creation and Approval Module

Retaining good key decision records is critical to ensuring the success of a project or operation. Having adequately documented decisions with supporting documents and rationale can greatly reduce the amount of rework or reinvention over a project's, vehicle's, or facility's lifecycle. Stennis Space Center developed and uses a software tool that automates the Key Decision Record (KDR) process for its engineering and test projects. It provides the ability for a user to log key decisions that are made during the course of a project. By customizing Parametric Technology Corporation's (PTC) Windchill product, the team was able to log all information about a decision, and electronically route that information for approval. Customizing the Windchill product allowed the team to directly connect these decisions to the engineering data that it might affect and notify data owners of the decision. The user interface was created in JSP and Javascript, within the OOTB (Out of the Box) Windchill product, allowing users to create KDRs. Not only does this interface allow users to create and track KDRs, but it also plugs directly into the OOTB ability to associate these decision records with other relevant engineering data such as drawings, designs, models, requirements, or specifications