the design work is to perform various investigation for design data while displaying it on a display screen to make subdivision and concretization thereof . thus , the design work is a combination of a plurality of design stages in general . accordingly , the design work is described for each design stage to improve work efficiency . actually , a design supporting apparatus includes a device for setting the design stages clearly , a device for preserving the setting , a device for setting relation between the design stages , a device for deciding the design stages dynamically , and a device for relating the design data to the design stages for preservation thereof in addition to processing and editing function of the design data provided in the design supporting apparatus .