Strategies to the Prediction, Mitigation and Management of Product Obsolescence

8.4 TRACKING PARTS’ AVAILABILITY

Proactive obsolescence management relies on the material risk index staying current. Therefore, it is reasonable to perform the initial analysis on a regular basis. The initial analysis is the same as monitoring the parts’ availability. The time span between these analyses depends on the health monitoring. If a BOM or preselected part list has numerous critical parts, the time span should be reduced. For instance, if the BOM contains several memory parts, it may be reasonable to check the BOM every two months. If the BOM consists only of passive components, the monitoring of parts’ availability could be performed every six months (or longer). The frequency of analysis is not necessarily a constant; it may be set by a specific project’s requirements.