Change Management for Manufacturing Process Planning (MPP)

Hi Daan, good question!

We mainly use a customized Express ECO and a full-custom ECN process. We use PR and ECR too, but they don´t run in Innovator and are only linked. We only loosely follow CM2 principles, cause form my POV the concept doesn´t fit to SMBs and is too scientific. 

In the past we intended to integrate the ProcessPlan update into the ECO just like Parts and Documents. But we right now don´t do it. Cause this would lead to a ECO that is unfinished too long. 

One key aspect is time. Just because a product was updated, it doesn´t mean it´s instantly manufactured (at least in our case). We need an ECO to be finished so ERP data is updated (important for SCM!). But the change might not be relevant for actual manufacturing yet. The MBOM update is an important task, but most of the time there is enough time for the people to do it. 

An MBOM update is only triggered when an change affects a product that is manufactured. People that shall check the MBOM are informed by email when the EBOM was updated. But our manufacturing planning team can also see the missing MBOM data in the ERP, cause EBOM and MBOM appear in some way in the ERP. So we use a few levels to ensure MBOM is taken care of, but it´s not ECO. Email is just the first trigger.

Things are different of course, when you are a large corporation with many manufacturing locations. In this case I would maybe use an additional CM process for MBOM update that is linked to the ECO. 

I think there are many ways to address this topic! Would be happy to hear from others as well!

Angela

Thank you for the elaborate reply AngelaIp !

I think your statement about the Process Plan updates being part of an ECO is relatable. Therefore, I think an ECO should trigger an MCR so the MBOM and related routings are updated. But I am now thinking of going one level deeper as this effectively would result in the same challenge. So an ECO would trigger MCR (we call it M-ECN) which perhaps triggers another change container specifically for updating affected process plans and active process plan items (production files). 

The synchronization of ERP v.s. PLM, including 'single source of truth' v.s. 'single source of change' is a heavy subject that could deserve a thread on its own.

Let's indeed hope others will recognize these challenges and are willing to share some ideas!

Daan

I agree to your MCR idea! I forgot, that our ECN serves also this purpose in some way.
Our ECN is created after the ECO is finished and tells people about the next steps (update MBOM, write PCN, update products in warehouse, etc.).
Basically the ECN is converted from the ECO.

In our case ECN will also track the MBOM change, but the ECN itself doesn´t create the new MPP revision like the Express ECO would do for Parts.
We often also have to update manufacturing equipment, test systems, etc. . So people most of the time has to do much more than just the MBOM.
But I have to admit, the revision update would fit into the process, just as you describe.

I right now remember an 8 year old support ticket of mine, that might be relevant again! I asked the question if an finished ECO can automatically start another change process.
The issue was targeted to the client side aspect of the task. -> instantly open the window of the 2nd change process after ECO was finished.

Feel free to write Aras if you´re are interested too in this one:
--> IR-039815 Allow Client methods to run from a Workflow Process  - 18.02.2016

I just realized that I am still waiting for the solution!

Angela

I agree to your MCR idea! I forgot, that our ECN serves also this purpose in some way.
Our ECN is created after the ECO is finished and tells people about the next steps (update MBOM, write PCN, update products in warehouse, etc.).
Basically the ECN is converted from the ECO.

In our case ECN will also track the MBOM change, but the ECN itself doesn´t create the new MPP revision like the Express ECO would do for Parts.
We often also have to update manufacturing equipment, test systems, etc. . So people most of the time has to do much more than just the MBOM.
But I have to admit, the revision update would fit into the process, just as you describe.

I right now remember an 8 year old support ticket of mine, that might be relevant again! I asked the question if an finished ECO can automatically start another change process.
The issue was targeted to the client side aspect of the task. -> instantly open the window of the 2nd change process after ECO was finished.

Feel free to write Aras if you´re are interested too in this one:
--> IR-039815 Allow Client methods to run from a Workflow Process  - 18.02.2016

I just realized that I am still waiting for the solution!

Angela