A '''Process Development Execution System (PDES)''' is a [[system]], which is used by companies to perform development activities for [[high-tech]] [[manufacturing]] processes. A PDES is similar to a [[Manufacturing Execution System]] (MES) in several aspects. The central distinguishing factor is that PDESs are tailored for steering the development of a manufacturing process while MES are tailored for executing the volume production using the developed process. Therefore the focus and the toolset of a PDES is more on lower volume but higher flexibility and experimentation freedom. The tools of a MES are more focused on less variance, higher volumes, tighter control, and logistics. Both types of [[application software]] have in common that they increase [[traceability]], [[productivity]], and [[quality]] (for PDES the quality of the developed manufacturing process in contrast to the quality of the manufactured [[good (economics and accounting)]]/commodity for MES). Additionally both software types share functions including [[equipment]] tracking, [[product]] genealogy, [[labor]] and item tracking, [[cost]]ing, [[electronic signature]] capture, [[defect]] and resolution monitoring, [[Executive Dashboard]]s, and other various reporting solutions.
PDES have many parts and can be deployed on various scales. From simple [[Work in Progress]] tracking to a complex solution integrated throughout an enterprise development infrastructure. The later are touching other enterprise systems like [[Enterprise resource planning|Enterprise Resource and Planning System]]s (ERPs), [[Manufacturing Execution System]]sSystems (MESs), [[Product Lifecycle Management]] (PLMs), [[SCADA|Supervisory, Control and Data Acquisition]] (SCADA) solutions and [[Automated_planning_and_scheduling|Scheduling and Planning System]]s (both long-term and short-term tactical).
== Example: PDES usage during semiconductor device development ==
