The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development

34.5. Impact on Internal Systems and External Customers

After the decision to obsolete a product is made, the real work begins. The success of an obsolescence plan depends largely on careful timing. The amount of advance notice provided is purely an individual industry and company decision. It is common knowledge that as the automobile industry rolls out a new model year of cars and trucks, there is no new production of the previous model year. The vehicles available are limited to the stock on hand. In other industries, it may be prudent to provide advance notice of obsolescence, especially component parts used in larger, complex systems. Using the automotive example again, system integrators providing automotive manufacturing lines will use controls and components as specified by the end-user. Up to one year may lapse between specification and the start of production. Ample notice of any planned obsolescence is critical to maintaining a specification position for these manufacturing systems.

NOTE

Careful timing is critical to a successful obsolescence plan.

There are many internal manufacturing, procurement, and communications systems and documents that support active products. These processes and documents must be identified. Provisions and schedules for changing and deleting them should be developed. The detailed obsolescence process that follows addresses these individual components of production, procurement, distribution support, and advertising. The scope of the internal ...