Specification Management provides a centralized place to create, manage, and maintain product specifications. It helps you keep specification information connected and current while supporting review, approval, and collaboration throughout the specification lifecycle.
What can you do with Specification Management?
With Specification Management, you can:
- Create and maintain product specifications.
- Manage specification changes, versions, and approvals.
- Collaborate with suppliers while controlling what information is shared.
- Manage specification information for components, packaging, and finished goods.
- Work with packaging assemblies.
- Maintain a history of specification changes.
Specification Areas
Specification Management organizes specifications into three areas based on what you're managing.
Raw Materials
Use Raw Materials to manage specifications for the materials and ingredients used in your products.
Packaging
Use Packaging to manage specifications for individual packaging components.
Packaging Specifications can also be used with the broader packaging functionality available from the separate Packaging tab, including Assemblies and Assembly Claims.
Finished Good
Use Finished Good to manage specifications for your completed products.
From a Finished Good specification, you can also access additional product information and workflows, including packaging artwork when applicable.
How Specifications Are Managed
Within each specification area, specifications can be managed as Primary or Shared Specifications.
Primary Specifications
A Primary Specification contains the complete specification information you manage internally. It can include information that should remain within your internal team.
Shared Specifications
A Shared Specification allows you to collaborate with a supplier while controlling what information they can see and edit.
This allows you and your suppliers to work from connected specification information without exposing information intended only for your internal team.
Before Collaborating with Suppliers
If you plan to collaborate directly with a supplier in Specification Management, you must first be connected with the supplier in the TraceGains Network.
Connecting the items involved in your specifications is also recommended, although it is optional.
For instructions on connecting suppliers and items, see Connect to Suppliers From Supplier Management.
Packaging and Assemblies
In addition to the Packaging Specifications available from Specifications → Packaging, additional packaging functionality is available from the separate Packaging tab.
From the Packaging tab, you can access:
- Assemblies — Organize packaging components that work together as part of a packaging configuration.
- Assembly Claims — Manage claims associated with your packaging assemblies.
Next Steps
Before creating specifications, configure the template that determines the structure and information available in your Primary Specifications.
See Primary Specification Templates to get started.