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Prerequisites

  • System Elements or Design Requirements defined
  • FMEA document created for the subsystem or component
  • Understanding of which properties need SC (Special Characteristic) or CC (Critical Characteristic) classification

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Steps

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1. Navigate to Characteristics Document

From the Design Space or Requirements Space, locate your characteristics specification document:
  • Open Design → Characteristics → [Component]CharacteristicsSpecification
  • Or use Quick Search to find your characteristics document

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2. Create Characteristic Work Item

Click ➕ Create Work Item in the top toolbar:
  1. Select Characteristic from the work item type dropdown
  2. Enter a descriptive Title (e.g., “Brake Pedal Travel Distance”, “ECU Supply Voltage”)
  3. Add Description explaining what the characteristic measures
  4. Click Save

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3. Set Target Value and Tolerance

In the work item form:
  1. Locate the Target Value field → enter nominal specification (e.g., “12.5 mm”, “5.0V”)
  2. Locate the Tolerance field → enter acceptable deviation (e.g., “±0.5 mm”, “±0.25V”)
  3. Add any specification notes in the tolerance field if needed
Always include units in the target value field. Without units, control plan inspection procedures become ambiguous. Support ticket #T-2341 identified 23 characteristics missing units, causing production line confusion.

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4. Set Classification (SC/CC)

Select the Classification field:
  • SC (Special Characteristic) — affects product performance, regulatory compliance, or customer satisfaction
  • CC (Critical Characteristic) — affects safety or legal requirements
  • Leave blank if neither applies
Use SC for characteristics that: (1) appear in customer requirements, (2) affect regulatory compliance, or (3) have narrow tolerances requiring SPC monitoring. Use CC only for safety-critical characteristics that could cause harm if out of specification.
If the characteristic refines a design requirement:
  1. Scroll to Links section
  2. Click Add Link → select Refines
  3. Choose the parent Design Requirement
  4. Click OK
To associate the characteristic with a physical component:
  1. In Links section, click Add Link → Allocated To
  2. Select the System Element (component or assembly)
  3. Click OK
This establishes traceability for System Structure Navigator.

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Workflow Diagram

diagram

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Common Pitfalls

Before creating a new characteristic, search the document to avoid duplicates. Ticket #T-1893 reported 47 duplicate characteristics across three subsystems, causing traceability confusion in RTM PowerSheets.
All characteristics derived from safety goals or ASIL requirements must have SC or CC classification. Unclassified safety characteristics won’t appear in Safety Readiness Scorecard metrics.

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Verification

After creating the characteristic:
  1. Open Characteristics PowerSheet for your component
  2. Verify your characteristic appears with:
    • Correct target value and tolerance
    • SC/CC badge (orange for SC, red for CC) if classified
    • Linked failure modes (if FMEA already exists)
You should see the characteristic in the green-highlighted Characteristics column group with any classification displayed as a colored badge.

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See Also