Engineering Change Management - Managing the process of change

There are three elements here; Engineering Change Order, Engineering Change Request and Implementation Notes. Typically organisations implement Engineering Change Order first. Then Change Request to formalise the gathering of ideas on how to change a product and finally documenting the change. Implementation Notes can be added for future reference.

Image: Workflow of Engineering Change Management process.

Engineering Change Request (ECR) can be started by anyone in the organisation with Production being the most likely source. But it also could be customers that start the process. Now that you have the request, how do you inform people and manage the implementation discussion? Follow the process through that results hopefully in an approval.

Engineering Change Order (ECO) is implementing the change and managing it’s introduction into the design or Bill of Materials or production environment.

Implementation Note (IN) captures the outcome of the change process with information such as, what is the cost, what was the implementation date, what stage in the production cycle does the change come into effect. 

 

Does your organisation have answers to these questions?

• How do you capture (product, process, production) change within your organisation?
• It isn't always the design department that starts the change process, so where does the change process in your organisation begin?
• What tools are available in the organisation for anyone to capture the need for change?

 

Examples of how Sovelia PLM Engineering Change Management helps capture change

Image: Connection of the Engineering Change process elements