Navigating OpenBOM Change Management

In today’s dynamic engineering and manufacturing processes, managing changes effectively is crucial for organizational success. Whether it’s product design alterations, revisions in manufacturing processes, or updates to documentation, maintaining a comprehensive record of changes is essential. 

This is where OpenBOM’s Change Management system comes into play, providing a robust platform for capturing, tracking, and managing changes seamlessly. Let’s dig into the importance of capturing the history of changes, revisions, and Engineering Change Order (ECO) processes, and explore seven key features of OpenBOM’s Change Management system.

Importance of Capturing Change History

The ability to capture the history of changes and revisions is vital for maintaining transparency, accountability, and traceability throughout the product lifecycle. It allows teams to understand the evolution of a product, track the reasoning behind each change, and comply with regulatory requirements. Additionally, it facilitates effective communication and collaboration among cross-functional teams involved in the change process.

OpenBOM Change Management Big Picture

The following picture gives you a perspective on change management in OpenBOM. Check this picture bottom up. Item and Item Revisions are the foundation of OpenBOM change management. Automatic history tracking is a basic process. You can see that CAD design changes are connected to Item/BOM changes, you can connect multiple CAD (design) inputs (MCAD, ECAD, etc), but they are optional. 

Change requests and change orders are the main elements of the change process. The change request is technically a revision candidate. Change Order serves as the main element of the building approval process. 

OpenBOM’s Change Management: 7 Key Features:

1. Automatic Change History Tracking: OpenBOM automatically tracks all changes made to the Item and Bill of Materials (BOM), providing a comprehensive audit trail of modifications over time. Files can be attached to items (including native CAD data and derivative files (STEP, PDF, DXF, etc)
2. Revision Control and ECO Process: The platform offers robust revision control capabilities, enabling teams to manage multiple revs of BOMs and navigate between them (including comparison) effortlessly. Furthermore, it facilitates the Engineering Change Order (ECO) process, allowing organizations to formalize and streamline change requests and approvals.
3. Customizable Templates for Change Orders: OpenBOM provides customizable templates for creating change orders, allowing organizations to tailor the change process to their specific requirements. You can add custom properties to change order definitions and track the process of ECO creation and approval. 
4. Notifications: The platform offers configurable notifications to keep all stakeholders informed about the status of change requests, approvals, and any modifications made to the BOM or documents. This real-time communication enhances collaboration and ensures timely decision-making.
5. Collaborative Review and Approvals: OpenBOM facilitates collaborative review and approvals, eliminating bottlenecks in the approval process. It provides visibility into the status of change requests, enabling stakeholders to track progress and provide feedback efficiently.
6. BOM Compare Function: The BOM Compare function allows users to compare two different BOMs or two revisions of the same Part Number BOM. It identifies differences and facilitates accurate decision-making. This feature enhances visibility and enables teams to assess the impact of changes effectively.
7. Transparency of Change Process: OpenBOM ensures transparency in the change process by making data visible to all stakeholders involved. This transparency fosters accountability, trust, and alignment across teams, ultimately leading to more effective change management practices.

Change Management Infographic 

Here is an infographic that will help you understand the OpenBOM change management process. 

Conclusion

OpenBOM’s Change Management system streamlines the change process within organizations, providing traceability, visibility, and accountability throughout the product life cycle. By automating change history tracking, enabling revision control and ECO processes, offering customizable templates and notifications, facilitating collaborative review and approvals, providing BOM comparison functionality, and ensuring transparency, 

OpenBOM empowers teams to manage changes effectively and drive continuous improvement. Embracing OpenBOM’s Change Management capabilities can help organizations adapt to evolving requirements, mitigate risks, and enhance overall operational efficiency.

REGISTER FOR FREE and check how OpenBOM can help you today.

Best,

Oleg