Challenges of traditional engineering change control
Many small- to mid-sized organizations follow the same engineering change process:
an engineering change notice (ECN) is manually created using a Microsoft Word template,
copies of the documents are attached, and the whole package is either routed through
office mail or hand-carried from one reviewer to the next.
Change forms may reference wrong part numbers, attachments are lost, the entire package can be misrouted
or sit on a vacationing engineer's desk... the process is expensive and inefficient.
Then there are the productivity-stealing variations: a deviation or waiver process
that provides insufficient detail or inadequate review;
engineering change proposals that are never acted upon, and therefore represent
wasted effort; change orders that don't follow your company's documented process.
The solution is PLM software
A change form can be an effective vehicle for describing proposed or actual
modifications to affected items. At a minimum, change forms list the affected parts
and documents, the justification or rationale for the change, the instructions for
how to implement the change, and the people who reviewed the change.
PDXpert PLM offers a host of features that simplify your engineering change process:
- Create an unlimited number of different change forms, such as
Change Request, Change
Order, Deviation, Waiver, Stop Ship.
- Specify whether each form releases and/or cancels items (ECO/ECN/ECP), or
provides information
about an item (such as a change request or stop ship)
- Design custom review workflow for each change form
- Easy drag-and-drop of the affected parts and documents onto the change
- Disposition each released or canceled item including:
physical part counts; one-time rework, NRE and tooling expenses; and
recurring costs
- Attach electronic files, such as rework instructions and cost impact assessments;
include URLs pointing to vendor web pages
These functions translate directly into verifiable ROI by offering
increased sales revenue through faster product releases;
lower product costs by using more accurate documentation; and
lower administrative overhead by including important
supporting information (such as rework instruction files) to your
engineering change forms.
Learn more about PDXpert PLM
PDXpert PLM has been specifically designed for growing companies that are
making the transition to computerized change management. Our original concept, and
on-going objective, has been to make PDXpert PLM simple, so you don't have
to invest in an expensive IT infrastructure. And, we've made PDXpert PLM
affordable, you don't have to settle for an off-site ASP solution that compromises
your data security and accessibility.
We invite your hands-on assessment of our design change solution:
Download
your free PDXpert PLM evaluation
software now simply by registering
070802.1945