Enterprise integration of product development data: systems science in action

The work program of complexity (WPOC), stemming from systems science, was applied by a large cross-functional team of Ford engineers and system developers in the mid-1990s as an enabler to create an enterprise-wide information system known as the C3P system. This brief descriptor refers to a CADjCAEjCAMj PIMS system, applied to design, engineer, and manufacture automobiles; and further to provide product information across and beyond the entire enterprise, extending into the supplier and customer base. The design foundation of the C3P system retains its utility today. The only system changes have arisen from technological upgrades which are independent of the original design strategy.