BS 8888:2011

Technical product documentation and specification

3.3 technical product documentation 

(TPD) means of conveying all or part of a design definition or specification of a product

3.4 technical product specification 

(TPS) technical product documentation comprising the complete design definition and specification of a product for manufacturing and verification purposes

NOTE A TPS, which might contain drawings, 3-D models, parts lists or other documents forming an integral part of the specification, in whatever format they might be presented, might consist of one or more TPDs.

4.1.2 General principles of specification

A TPS shall document the criteria that the manufactured product has to satisfy.

NOTE 1 The TPS might include requirements of individual manufactured components, where necessary.

NOTE 2 The TPS might include additional information required for the manufacture, verification, maintenance and disposal of the product.

NOTE 3 Criteria might include requirements relating to the appearance, transportation, storage, maintenance, assembly, disassembly, recycling and disposal

of the product, as well as its performance and reliability in use.

Sizes, geometrical relationships and tolerances which are necessary for the correct functioning or location of a component or assembly shall be specified through the use of datums, dimensions and tolerances.

NOTE 4 Selection of datum features which are not related to the function or location of a component or assembly results in the need for tighter tolerances. 

A TPS shall provide sufficient information to avoid ambiguity of interpretation.

NOTE 5 A TPS is not complete if there is more than one possible interpretation of the specification.

A TPS shall provide sufficient information for the product to be manufactured, but shall not unnecessarily constrain manufacturing methods.

NOTE 6 A particular manufacturing process which has been tested and approved for the production of a safety-critical component is an example of a situation where there is a requirement to specify the manufacturing method.

A TPS shall provide sufficient information for the verification of each element of the specification, but shall not unnecessarily constrain verification methods.

A TPS shall provide all the information necessary for the manufacture and verification of the product, or state where that information can be found.

NOTE 7 This might be achieved through the use of notes and references to other standards or documents.