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Engineering change management (ECM for short) is the process of requesting, evaluating alternatives, implementation and reviewing of changes to any given system or product. The change can be either total or partial and related to an item (component, assembly or material) whose content has already been validated at various stages of its design, corresponding to milestones process or program, by the actors to whom this responsibility has been assigned. Changes constitute a major component of the development of modern products. They can also provide an interesting opportunity for the organization to generate benefits and to innovate. The generic engineering change management process is normally made up of 6 phases. Request for engineering change 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. Alternatives to the requested change are evaluated 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 All the alternatives should be evaluated in terms of cost and benefits in relation with the other department affected by the change. Solution approval The chosen solution needs to be approved by the managers of the concerned departments Implementing the change When approval from top management is obtained the change order needs to be circulated across the whole organization. Either the changes are done straight away or in some cases the change is made over small phases. The review stage The change process is monitored to make sure that everything went out as planned and all the necessary information is documented for use in the future. 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 Improving your engineering change management alone won't be enough for your organization. There are more aspects to take into consideration. Download our free project management efficiency evaluator so as to find out more concerning the success rate of your projects.
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