The Project and Product Design Plan incorporates a process which is generally applicable to all programs regardless of contract scope or complexity. For major component programs, the plan is directly applicable. For strategic programs, the activities/functions identified in the proposal stage of the process flow are generally applicable for concept development, including a product specification, as well as obtaining program cost estimates via the product cost estimation process.

For more complex programs, a sensible partitioning into an architecture of major subsystems will facilitate the implementation of the plan. In this case, a composite of major component PDPs would be integrated to achieve a system plan.

The depth of application of the PDP is affected by many factors, including:

1. Customer requirements
2. Safety related aspects of the design
3. Complexity of design
4. State of development of the technology
5. Degree of duplication of a proven design (system, subsystem, or component)
6. Program cost and schedule

The Product Design Plan is to be applied to both customer order programs and internal strategic programs without distinction.

The Lead Engineer and the appropriate functional Engineering Manager must jointly decide on depth of applicability for each major system element/component consistent with the committed budgetary estimates.