Siemens PLM Software

Teamcenter document
management

White Paper

Enhancing document management in the product development process

Teamcenter® software provides powerful document management capabilities that operate
within the product lifecycle management (PLM) environment, enabling you to use documents to
support product information and processes. These capabilities are provided out-of-the-box to
support product development knowledge workers. Unlike legacy and standalone document
management applications, documents that are managed in Teamcenter directly reference and
are influenced by, or are dependent on the product data they support and describe. PLM capabili-
ties can be applied to documents throughout the workflow, review and signoff. Templates
provide for quality and standardization as well as schedules for document deliverables, all
synchronized with product development needs and drivers. This helps enhance user productivity
and eliminates time wasted moving into and out of discrete applications.

www.siemens.com/plm

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 White paper | Teamcenter document management

Contents

Executive summary...........................................................3
Document management in the context
of product development...................................................4
Keeping documents under control....................................6
Leveraging Microsoft Office files......................................7
Commenting on documents................................................7
Consistent and accurate metadata.......................................8
Print management..............................................................8
Digital rights management..................................................8
Supporting business processes.........................................9
Conclusion......................................................................10

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 White paper | Teamcenter document management

Executive summary
For decades, pundits have trumpeted the promise of a paper- The proliferation of digital documents in a variety of formats,
less society. They forecast far fewer dead trees, and an end such as Microsoft Office files, PDFs, computer-aided design
to the headaches – and costs – inherent in the printing, (CAD) files, etc. has led to a new set of headaches. Coping
distribution and filing of paper documents. with these digital mountains of information and being able
to find and re-use the knowledge contained in specific docu-
Skeptics will rightly point out that paper is still very much
ments is the challenge of document management. A docu-
with us. Yet, the paperless society was always something of
ment management system (DMS) is a computer system (or
a misnomer. It was really all about unlocking the information
set of computer programs) used to track and store electronic
trapped in all those discrete pieces of paper, and making that
documents and/or images of paper documents. Teamcenter
information more widely available in digital form. No longer
can be used to address document management within
locked away in file cabinets and desk drawers, modern digi-
the context of the product development lifecycle. For
tal documents have unleashed the value of intellectual prop-
Teamcenter, document management is core functionality,
erty that can now be authored, shared, reviewed, revised,
thus making it integral to the PLM environment.
disseminated, stored, retrieved and leveraged by knowledge
workers throughout the global enterprise. What’s more, Teamcenter provides you with the ability to
link documents to the product, as well as insert product data
Yesterday’s pieces of paper are today’s business objects,
into documents. When an engineering change is made to the
requiring:
product, you can trace all the documents that are affected
• Authoring standards and templates that save time by that change, and update them accordingly. This ability is
and effort while ensuring consistency throughout crucial during the product development process as well as
the organization after a product has been released to the marketplace. If the
documentation needs to be examined for regulatory
• Neutral file formats anyone can view without the native
purposes, for example, knowing which documents are
authoring software
related to a specific configuration of a product or the date
• Access rules to limit which users have permission to read range of effectivity could prove to be quite valuable.
only, markup, change or print documents
This white paper explores the utility and value of document
• Version and revision control to ensure that the released management with Teamcenter.
document is fully vetted and up to date
• Routing and tracking protocols to control the document
development workflow

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Document management
in the context of
product development
Document management is crucial for product data manage- Yet a document management system that is integrated into
ment. Being able to quickly locate and view a given docu- a PLM system such as Teamcenter provides the ability to
ment is often the difference between productivity and make the most of this data within the context of product
frustration. Ensuring you have the correct version is critical. development. Document management in context (and the
Would you rather have your highly trained engineers concen- data it describes) enables you to avoid wasted effort, costs
trate on engineering work, or wasting time wading through and redundancies in documentation. This data is related,
directories or electronic libraries trying to locate documents? stored and integrated within the product development
But beyond engineers, there is also a population of knowl- process, not isolated in a standalone document manager.
edge workers who create documents that are associated
This enables you to find relevant product data quickly and
with the product development lifecycle. Marketing creates
re-use it effectively. Changes and processes remain linked to
documents that formulate product planning, market needs
the documents, helping ensure that projects stay on sched-
and sales collateral. Procurement creates specification
ule and that data quality is maintained at all times.
sheets, request for proposals (RFPs) and contracts that refer-
ence product information. If you consider the various knowl- Consider the benefits to be derived from providing instant
edge workers who generate documents that depend on access to accurate, up-to-date information contained in such
product information or that contribute to the product lifecy- diverse document types as:
cle, your population of document authors grows beyond
• CAD drawings of current and discontinued products
engineering and the benefit of a PLM-based document
management system multiples. • PowerPoint presentations explaining market dynamics
Commercial standalone document management systems are • Meeting notes from a product release discussion
available to control knowledge, content, digital assets or
• Cutaway view illustrations of subassemblies
even web objects. Such systems include, at a minimum:
• Flash file movies demonstrating functionality
• A database or repository for storage and organization,
including metadata about the objects stored • Scanned photographs
• Workflow and version management to track the • Annotated diagrams, flowcharts, maps and more
development and maturity of documents
Having such information at your fingertips enables you to
• The ability to manage access to the objects uncover what was done in the past, learn how and why deci-
sions were made and leverage that information in new or
improved products.

Relationships between documentation and products/parts,

including version effectivities, are viewable in the Teamcenter
impact analysis viewer.

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With Teamcenter, you can provide templates to end users, automatically renders it as a PDF and users can simply view
empowering them to create their own documents with a it with Adobe Reader, a free utility. PDFs viewed in Adobe
standard look and feel that are consistent with related docu- Reader can’t be edited, which means you can use these
ments. This also makes it easier for users to use the applica- documents to share information in read-only form and
ble boilerplate content, or predefined text that must remain prevent the introduction of inadvertent or time-consuming
static across all documents. This not only saves time, but changes that need to be reworked. You can also share
also ensures you maintain compliance with legal, regulatory neutral formatted documents with customers and partners
and/or instructional requirements. Commonly required meta- without disclosing proprietary intellectual property such as
data or properties for documents can be defined as a list of CAD details, while still supplying interactive 3D and 2D illus-
valid values to ensure consistent taxonomy. trations and related parts information. These documents can
also be digitally signed within Teamcenter to confirm
Another key advantage provided by Teamcenter is the ability
authenticity.
to render content in neutral formats. Instead of needing a
license for Adobe Illustrator to view an .ai file, Teamcenter

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Keeping documents
under control
Documents are business objects and, as such, must behave To that end, the Teamcenter document management system
consistently and in a controlled manner, depending on the provides the ability to:
type of document and how they drive or support business
• Incorporate metadata describing each document
processes. Control in this context refers to important issues
such as revision/version control. As documents are revised, • Integrate documents into Teamcenter
changed and updated, you need to be sure that the latest
• Capture, index, store and retrieve documents
revision is complete and accurate and that all related docu-
ments that are affected by any change are easy to find and • Maintain document security for access, change or deletion
update. Access management is also crucial from a control
• Support workflow
standpoint, including the ability to route/track documents by
workflow and enable access to those with the right to view • Enable collaboration
or modify documents at various states during development
• Maintain version control
based on their role in the organization. While basic control
across all documents may be the same, not all documents • Support searches
are the same and will have different behaviors. Certain docu-
• Control publishing
ments may use specific templates; they may be rendered to
neutral formats at different times in the lifecycle; and they • Empower the repurposing of documents
may have different status at different steps, requiring differ-
• Digitally sign both the page and objects being managed
ent access controls.
in Teamcenter
Further, the data created by an organization should be able
to be captured at the point of creation and throughout its
history with minimal effort by the users creating the data.

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Leveraging
Microsoft Office files
Documents created with Microsoft Office applications can Commenting on documents
easily and efficiently be used within either the Office applica- Teamcenter allows you to manage the markup of Office
tion or the Teamcenter environment. Office is one of the documents as well as PDFs. Microsoft Office and PDF files
most widely-used application suites by Teamcenter custom- can be routed through a workflow. Multiple users can
ers. Embedding Teamcenter into Microsoft Office applica- concurrently add and delete comments, modify comment
tions allows users access to Teamcenter data from within the text and types, and view others’ comments without having
application – exposing Teamcenter relationships, navigation to wait for those who have checked out the same file to
and other functionality with all Teamcenter access and work- check it back in. The document can also be sent out for
flow management in effect. review externally and then checked back into the system.
Reviewer comments can then be managed within
Teamcenter by the author.
You can revise your document according to reviewer
comments as well as manage markups from external vendors
or sources. Markups retain the integrity of the original docu-
ment while allowing reviewers to comment.
Comments are managed in Teamcenter as separate objects,
related to the original file being reviewed. In Teamcenter,
the ability to generate a report, including disposition of the
reviewers’ comments, is available in the Microsoft Office
document. Clicking the report button creates a related file in
Excel, which contains each comment in the Word file, who
made it and when, as well as how the original author
responded to those comments, allowing you to retain
comment and markup trails to meet internal and regulatory
requirements for retention history.
Additionally, with a Teamcenter Active Workspace docu-
The user can navigate Teamcenter information and directly access
ment, annotation and graphic markups can be made on PDF
functionality from the Teamcenter tab in the Microsoft Office
files from a browser on a web device.
application.

The Office client also supports the re-use of data between

different Office files – either by links or by embedding data.
This interface provides easy-to-learn-and-use document-
management functionality in Teamcenter for non-PLM users,
enabling them to work in a familiar environment they know
and understand – the Office suite of applications, including
Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word.
Not all users need to be immersed in PLM terminology and
practices, yet because of the close Teamcenter integration
with Office applications, everyone involved in the develop-
ment process can contribute to product development by
working with Word documents, PowerPoint slides and Excel
files. System administrators can create templates and With Active Workspace, reviewers can markup documents directly
from a browser-enabled device to accomplish tasks anywhere.
naming conventions, list values for document attributes and
more to simplify end user efforts, thereby increasing the
value of such documents.

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Consistent and accurate metadata Print management

Teamcenter provides attribute exchange for Microsoft The dreams of a paperless society notwithstanding, printing
Office files, enabling you to update property information in continues to be a part of everyday life. You can print indi-
Teamcenter or in Microsoft Office fields and properties vidual or batches of files from the Teamcenter interface
within the document. You only enter the data once from a without opening the files. You can also add stamps in the
single location. Eliminating the reentry of data means less form of footers, headers or banners, as well as simulated
work for your users plus improved content quality and watermarks. Typically screened across each page, such
consistency. watermarks make it clear that the document is confidential,
a draft, etc. Distribution statements related to specific revi-
The exchange supports formal, administrator defined prop-
sions, groups or projects can be added automatically.
erty exchange and user ad hoc property/attribute exchange.
You can move Teamcenter attributes to the file properties, Digital rights management
file properties to Teamcenter, or make sure each is synchro- Digital rights management (DRM) is a major concern for
nized regardless of where the change originated. This many companies. DRM protects intellectual property starting
exchange enables prepopulated templates to enable users to with the development of documents throughout their usage
rapidly create their documents. It allows for parts informa- and as they are archived. DRM can also provide additional
tion to be automatically populated in documents based on access control to files while in a proprietary application such
Teamcenter relationships to the template. It provides the as Microsoft or Adobe Acrobat.
ability to automatically capture and update author or revision
Teamcenter has partnered with commercial vendors to
information based on workflow states and authors.
provide DRM. These applications are separately licensed at
the enterprise level – not to individual users – and protect
email and data stored in file servers and repositories as well
as data exported from the system.
Siemens PLM Software partners with Microsoft for their
active directory rights management services to protect
Office, Sharepoint, Outlook, as well as Teamcenter commu-
nity files. Another partner, NextLabs, provides DRM support
for files in PDF, the JT™ data format, TIFF and other formats,
as well as files from third-party CAD/computer-aided
manufacturing (CAM)/ computer-aided engineering (CAE)
software systems.

Teamcenter attribute exchange mappings support bi-directional

exchange of information between documents and Teamcenter to
reduce input errors and extra work for authors.

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Supporting
business processes
Teamcenter can be used to integrate with other business departments can be versioned, reviewed and annotated,
systems using web services and can route documents back printed, released and kept in sync with product information.
and forth using workflow to send product information and
Utilizing Active Workspace, knowledge workers can search
documents at the right time to improve business processes
and access documents anywhere, anytime from a web
beyond engineering.
device with an intuitive user interface. Users can navigate to
Marketing teams can capture part information from documents from parts or related documents and perform
Teamcenter, create product data sheets that incorporate reviews and signoffs without being deskbound.
illustrations directly from the design environment, and relate
Teamcenter also provides optional functionality to integrate
them to the product they describe. With Teamcenter notifica-
your documents and product information with enterprise
tion and subscription capabilities, marketing becomes aware
resource planning systems (ERP), including SAP and Oracle,
of updates to the product as they occur, and can have prod-
and exchanging data and documents between the
uct sheets updated and ready to go with minimal effort.
Teamcenter and ERP environments. For example, the inte-
Versioning and access are all maintained with Teamcenter as
gration with SAP is a bi-directional interface between the
the product and the accompanying marketing documenta-
Teamcenter system and SAP’s ERP system that provides for
tion are developed, released and updated together.
handling product information, including documents perti-
With Teamcenter, documentation created to support the nent to other business processes outside of product
product design and development process by nonengineers, engineering.
or technical and training documentation to describe and
document the product by technical writers and other

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Conclusion
Teamcenter provides robust functionality for digital docu-
ment management within the context of product develop-
ment. Teamcenter makes it easy for you to archive and
retrieve documents, and provide them in neutral format
under access control. Documents built in Microsoft Office are
fully supported, making this familiar document environment
a comfortable medium for product development work. DRM
is fully supported, and the system can be integrated closely
with major ERP systems. Teamcenter document manage-
ment reduces wasted efforts, costs and redundancies in
documentation by storing and relating documentation to the
product data and allowing that data to be re-used easily and
efficiently. Documents and products stay linked and in sync
with engineering changes and processes to help ensure
schedules are met and quality is maintained throughout.

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Siemens PLM Software About Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens
Headquarters Digital Factory Division, is a world-leading provider of
Granite Park One product lifecycle management (PLM) software, systems
5800 Granite Parkway and services with nine million licensed seats and 77,000
Suite 600 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas,
Plano, TX 75024 Siemens PLM Software helps thousands of companies make
USA great products by optimizing their lifecycle processes, from
+1 972 987 3000 planning and development through manufacturing and
support. Our HD-PLM vision is to give everyone involved in
Americas making a product the information they need, when they
Granite Park One need it, to make the smartest decisions. For more informa-
5800 Granite Parkway tion on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit
Suite 600 www.siemens.com/plm.
Plano, TX 75024
USA
+1 314 264 8499

Europe
Stephenson House
Sir William Siemens Square
Frimley, Camberley
Surrey, GU16 8QD
+44 (0) 1276 413200

Asia-Pacific
Suites 4301-4302, 43/F
AIA Kowloon Tower, Landmark East
100 How Ming Street
Kwun Tong, Kowloon
Hong Kong
+852 2230 3308

www.siemens.com/plm
© 2014 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc.
Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of
Siemens AG. D-Cubed, Femap, Fibersim, Geolus, GO PLM,
I-deas, JT, NX, Parasolid, Solid Edge, Syncrofit, Teamcenter
and Tecnomatix are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its
subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All
other logos, trademarks, registered trademarks or service
marks belong to their respective holders.

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