AS IEC 62402:2014 Obsolescence management—Application guide
As a general principle, the obsolescence phase of a product begins immediately after the information about discontinuance is issued and the product is considered as obsolescent, as shown in Figure 1 . The information at the obsolescent phase change is often in the form of a product discontinuance notice (PDN), end-of-life (EOL) notification or lifetime buy (LTB) notification. A product change notice (PCN) may also cause a product to enter the obsolescence phase for certain manufacturers (OCM or OEM). For a software product, the obsolescence phase commences once the original software manufacturer indicates that the software is no longer supported.
A product may be considered obsolete once it is no longer available from the original manufacturer, even thought some product is still in the supply chain.
4.2 Obsolescence management process
Dependability management encompasses obsolescence management, which is the process of assuring that the product is manufacturable and supportable for the intended life, see Figure 2. The process consists of planned and co-ordinated activities for providing availability of a product during its intended life, by the economic and practicable provision of replacement components and support activities. Figure 3 shows the relationship between obsolescence management and product life cycle.
4.3 Documentation
The documentation for obsolescence management should include but not be limited to
a) a general statement of obsolescence policy and objectives;
b) documented procedures, describing the obsolescence management process, related activities and responsibilities;
c) documents needed by the organization to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of obsolescence management, e.g. an obsolescence management plan.
Also see IEC/TS 62239 for component records.
5 Management responsibility
5.1 Management function on obsolescence
The management function on dependability should be identified with specific roles and objectives in relation to quality and other technical disciplines as needed by the organization or project. This should include its function in regard to obsolescence.