In the automotive industry, changing a project in progress is more common than it seems and also riskier. A change of a simple technical detail in product engineering can generate serious impacts on the production process, on the suppliers, and even on delivery to the customer. The good news? Technology already allows you to manage changes with control, traceability, and agility. In this article, we will show you how to avoid failures and delays with structured product change management and how ISOQualitas can be your ally in this mission.
Anyone who works with product development knows: changes are part of the routine. They arise from adjustments in requirements, technical evolution, customer needs or regulatory requirements. The problem is not to change, the problem is to change without control. And that’s exactly where many failures occur throughout the phases of an engineering change.
1. What are the Typical Phases of Engineering Change Management?
Phase 1 – Identification of Changes and Documentation:
The identification of problems or needs for changes are documented in an Engineering Change Request (ECR) where they can be triggered by various events:
- Customer Complaint/Field Occurrences;
- UAn opportunity for improvement;
- Field problems due to materials;
- Non-compliance with rules and regulations;
- Failures in the field due to manufacturing process failures, etc..
Phase 2 – Review, Evaluation and Disposition:
Usually this phase is conducted by a cross-functional team, where the impacts, benefits and costs of the proposed change are evaluated and there may be suggestions, additions or other alternatives.
Based on the analysis and evaluation by the team, the willingness to approve with the issuance of the Engineering Change Notice (ECN) is given or reject the proposed change altogether.
Phase 3 – Planning and Execution:
When the ECR is approved with the issuance of the ECN, the multidisciplinary team must develop a detailed plan for implementation of the proposed change.
Following the established planning, the change is implemented, and in execution other changes may require:
- Materials used;
- Machinery, equipment and manufacturing processes;
- Embedded Software;
- Supply Chain;
- and even retraining and qualification of labor.
This step also includes updating the documentation as necessary to ensure that the change is propagated smoothly and in the case of products supplied to the automotive industry, consideration should be given to the submission process according to PPAP-AIAG, PPA-VDA2 or other process required by the customer.
Phase 4 – Validation:
Once the change has been fully implemented, it should be rigorously tested to confirm that the intended effects have been achieved and that change hasn’t introduced other problems and unforeseen events.
Phase 5 – Closure:
After validation, the change process can be formally terminated and the successfully implemented actions should be considered as lessons learned to extend the changes to other products and processes as a basis for continuous improvement.
Phase 6 – Monitoring:
Continuous monitoring confirms that the intended benefits from the engineering change continue as expected.
2. Why does unmanaged change becomes a loss?
When a change is not communicated correctly between product engineering, manufacturing process, quality, production, and suppliers, the risks increase:
- Parts are produced with the old revision,
- Entire batches are reworked, and
- Deadlines are missed.
In addition to the financial impact, there is the wear and tear with the customer and the team.
ISOQualitas Tip: The first step is to have a clear change management process, with well-defined flows, responsibilities and controlled deadlines.
3. The Role of Technology: Centralize, Communicate, and Track
Systems such as ISOQualitas PLM allow any change to be recorded, potential impacts to be assessed, finally approved and automatically communicated to all areas involved. The version of the technical drawing, the amended documents, the responsible parties and the dates are fully integrated and accessible.
This avoids the famous “I didn’t know it had changed” and gives total security in execution, in addition to facilitating future audits and analyses.
4. Engineering + Quality: the integration that makes a difference
In a product change, it is not enough to update the project. It is necessary to review the Design/Process FMEAs, update the Control Plan/Process Instructions, reassess the special characteristics and revalidate the product and the manufacturing process. If each area works on a different spreadsheet or other software, errors multiply.
With ISOQualitas, the areas work within the same integrated system, where the change in one document automatically triggers the necessary revisions in the others.
5. Benefits of Standardized, Digital Change Management
- Drastic reduction of communication failures
- Complete traceability of every decision made
- Analysis of impacted documents
- Productivity gain among the areas involved
- Lower risk of non-conformities due to obsolete documents
- Quality management system compliance in audits
- Increased quality and reliability for the end customer
- Ease of replicating lessons learned in similar products
Managing changes in product engineering is inevitable and also an opportunity to evolve processes and ensure deliveries with higher quality. With the right technology, your business turns complexity into control, risk into security, and confusion into fluidity. ISOQualitas PLM was designed for exactly that: to provide visibility, agility and integration at every stage of the product lifecycle. Avoid failures, save time, and strengthen your delivery. Because change is part of it. But controlling change, too.
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