Engineering Change Management Explained

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 form part of most products nowadays especially the ones that consist of rapidly evolving technologies. They can also provide an interesting opportunity for the organization to generate benefits and to innovate.
There are 6 phases that makes up a generic engineering change management process:

Engineering change request

A formal request which is known as an engineering change request is made and will help define clearly the changes that are needed.

Alternative solutions to the requested change

Alternatives to the ECM are evaluated and the best one is normally taken.

Cost benefits analysis of the alternatives

Alternatives are normally evaluated in terms of risk and other benefits and also impact on the other departments.

Approval of Solution

Once a solution seems favorable it needs to be approved by the appropriate managerial department,

Implementation stage

When approval from top management is obtained the change order needs to be circulated across the whole organization. Changes can be made in a single phase or in some cases in various small phases.

Monitoring and Review stage

The change process is carefully reviewed to ensure that everything went out as planned and that proper documentation is made.

The steps are the most generic ones but can vary in some situations.