The use of production management techniques in the construction of large scale physics detectors

The construction process of detectors for the Large Hadron Collider(LHC) ex periments is large scale, heavily constrained by resource availability and evolves with time. As a consequence, changes in detector component design n eed to be tracked and quickly reflected in the construction process. With s imilar problems in industry engineers employ so-called Product Data Managem ent (PDM) systems to control access to documented versions of designs and m anagers employ so-called Workflow Management software (WfMS) to coordinate production work processes. However, PDM and WfMS software are not generally integrated in industry. The Scale of LHC experiments, like CMS, demands th at industrial production techniques be applied in detector construction. Th is paper outlines the major functions and applications of the CRISTAL syste m (Cooperating Repositories :and an Information System for Tracking Assembl y Lifecycles) in use in CMS which successfully integrates PDM and WfMS tech niques in managing large scale physics detector construction. This is the f irst time industrial production techniques have been deployed to this exten t in detector construction.