Jul
Engineering change management explained
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by admin on 27-07-2010
Engineering change management refers to the change in the functionality of a product by means of careful request, evaluation, implementation and control when production of the product has already started. The change can be done totally or can affect only a small part of the product such as its component, assembly or material.
Changes are an integral part of development of modern products. Changes also provide an opportunity for an organization to get more benefits and also to foster some innovation across the whole organization.
The generic engineering change management process is normally made up of 6 phases.
Engineering change request
A formal request (engineering change request) must be made and it must precisely define what falls within the scope of changes that will be managed via the ad hoc procedure.
Evaluation of the alternatives
Other alternatives to the ECM are tried out and an evaluation of the alternatives is made and usually a single one is chosen.
Risk evaluation of the alternatives
Alternatives are normally evaluated in terms of risk and other benefits and also impact on the other departments.
Solution approval
The chosen solution needs to be approved by the managers of the concerned departments
Implementing the change
Once approval has been granted the change request becomes a change order and needs to be propagated across the whole organization. Changes can be made in a single phase or in some cases in various small phases.
The review stage
The change process is carefully reviewed to ensure that everything went out as planned and that proper documentation is made.
These are the steps that made up a generic engineering change management process but this can vary depending on the type and size of the organization.
Written by Robert Bellarmine for www.visitask.com
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