Overview
ISO 11005:2010 - Technical product documentation - Use of main documents - defines rules for using a main document to gather all product‑specifying information required for a specific part or assembly. The standard clarifies how to structure technical product documentation so that information is complete, reusable and traceable across design, manufacturing and supply-chain processes.
Key topics and requirements
- Main document principle: Each part or assembly shall be specified by a designated main document. When multiple documents are needed, one is identified as the main document and others are complementary documents.
- Document types: Examples of main document forms include a single part drawing, compound documents (e.g., assembly drawing + parts list), aggregated documents (assembly drawing and parts list with complementary-document references), parts lists, or a document list that references complementary documents.
- Content requirements:
- The main document must contain the part number and references to complementary documents when used.
- If the main document number differs from the part number, the part number must be specified separately.
- The main document shall include a title block or document header in accordance with ISO 7200:2004.
- Complementary documents: Should be independent and usable in different contexts (no back‑references to the main document) to enable cross‑use and reuse. In one‑to‑one relationships a reference from complementary to main may be acceptable.
- Change management: When complementary documents are revised, the connection to main document(s) must be shown by a where‑used analysis.
- Definitions: The standard provides definitions for document, technical product document, main/complementary document, part, assembly, compound/aggregated document and document set.
Applications - who uses ISO 11005:2010
ISO 11005 is practical for organizations managing product technical documentation, including:
- Design engineers and CAD managers standardizing drawings and assembly documentation
- Technical writers and document controllers creating document sets and metadata
- Quality and configuration managers implementing traceability and revision control
- Procurement and suppliers using parts lists and complementary technical specifications
- Manufacturing and maintenance teams relying on coherent assembly instructions and verification data
Adopting the main document principle improves information reuse, reduces ambiguity in parts/assembly specifications, and supports cross‑organizational document exchange.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 11005, main document, technical product documentation, parts list, assembly drawing, complementary documents, document set, title block, document header, where‑used analysis.