In the last fifty years, process improvements in service and product based organizations have greatly improvement quality, decreased development time and reduced scrap by improving process efficiency. Terms such as Lean Engineering, Just in Time, Total Quality Management and certifications such as ISO 9000 have become commonplace. In support of these process improvements, Engineering Data Management is a toolkit for achieving a truly integrated environment within a technical business by allowing teams to work more closely together, improving speed and efficiencies within the organization. This report was created to introduce the reader to basic principles of EDM and how it can improve an organization’s ability to compete. / text