Onshape Data Management Limitations: When You Need External PDM
Onshape's built-in PDM works well for Onshape-only teams. Learn when multi-CAD environments, supplier collaboration, and advanced workflows require external PDM.
Engineering Change Orders (ECO) Basics for SMEs: Process, Best Practices, and Emerging AI Trends
Learn Engineering Change Order basics for SMEs: common challenges, key workflow steps, best practices, and how AI may improve efficiency.
Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) are used to record design changes, evaluate their impact and determine the necessary approvals. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), properly managing ECOs is crucial, as it helps ensure product updates proceed as planned and avoids costly mistakes. This article introduces the basic concepts of ECOs, common challenges with manual processes, best practices, and briefly explores how future AI tools may improve change management efficiency.
What Is an ECO?
An ECO is a formal record that details the proposed design change, the reason for the change, the affected components and the approvers required. A structured ECO process helps prevent unauthorized modifications, loss of information and schedule delays.
Challenges of Manual Management
Many companies still rely on emails and spreadsheets to control engineering changes. This often leads to:
- Scattered information: Files and comments are stored in different emails or folders, making them hard to track.
- Version confusion: Without consistent version control, the team may use outdated files.
- Inefficient collaboration: Fragmented communication channels slow down approvals and cross-department coordination.
To overcome these problems, SMEs need clearly defined processes and a unified platform.
Key Steps in the ECO Workflow
A complete ECO workflow usually includes the following six stages:
- Submit change request: Team members formally record the proposed change, explaining the reason, affected parts, cost considerations and schedule. This establishes accountability.
- Impact assessment: Relevant teams evaluate how the change will affect other components, manufacturing processes, costs and schedules, and identify potential dependencies.
- Stakeholder collaboration: Representatives from engineering, quality and manufacturing departments jointly review and refine the plan.
- Implementation: Approved changes are executed under strict version control and documentation standards.
- Approval process: Only authorized personnel can approve changes, ensuring appropriate oversight based on the complexity and cost of the change.
- Closure and verification: The team verifies that all changes have been implemented correctly, updates documentation and archives the record.
SMEs should map out current processes, identify bottlenecks and use workflow tools to optimize these stages.
Version Control and Audit Trails
Detailed version control is essential for compliance and accountability. Each change should record the timestamp, implementer and description. Complete audit trails not only meet regulatory requirements but also help solve problems, share knowledge and provide references for future design decisions.
Detailed version control is essential for compliance and accountability. Each change should record the timestamp, implementer and description. Complete audit trails not only meet regulatory requirements but also help solve problems, share knowledge and provide references for future design decisions.
Building an Approval Process
An effective approval process must ensure supervision while avoiding inefficiency. Recommended measures include:
- Clarify roles: Specify who can submit changes, who reviews them and who has final approval authority.
- Set approval levels: Determine approval tiers based on the cost and impact of the change.
- Use digital tools: Electronic signatures and automatic notifications keep the process flowing smoothly.
- Continually optimize: Remove unnecessary steps and periodically review whether the process is still appropriate.
Future Outlook: The Potential of AI in ECO Management
Many companies still depend on traditional methods, but artificial intelligence has the potential to improve ECO management efficiency in the future. Examples include:
- Automatically drafting change descriptions and summaries.
- Analyzing modifications’ impacts on related components, costs and schedules.
- Recommending appropriate approvers based on historical data.
These functions are not yet widespread, but they show the direction of technological development. When planning long-term improvements, businesses can pay attention to the progress of these technologies.
Action Recommendations
- Review existing processes: Use flowcharts or audits to identify current pain points in management.
- Develop unified templates: Ensure information is complete to avoid back-and-forth confirmations.
- Train team members: Ensure everyone understands their responsibilities and workflow steps.
- Focus on automation tools: Gradually introduce workflow management software to improve efficiency.
- Continually improve: Regularly review and optimize processes and keep up with new technology developments.
Related Posts
Approval Workflows That Don’t Slow Down Innovation
Streamline approvals with cloud PDM. Automate routing, version control, and governance for faster, compliant engineering workflows.
Simplifying ECO Management with Cloud PDM: Core Features, Case Study, and Strategies for SMEs
Learn how SMEs can simplify ECO management with cloud PDM. Explore key features, CAD ROOMS case study, and strategies for agile workflows.