Wrangling Engineering Change Orders

Wrangling Engineering Change Orders

Earlier this month, Desktop Engineering published an article by Brian Albright that provides a refreshing perspective on a familiar topic – engineering change.  Albright suggests that many of the strategies and techniques used to manage engineering change (EC) are quickly becoming obsolete due to increasing product complexity and market demands.  While this concept is not new, the article looks at the root causes of this issue and explores actionable solutions.  The urgency of the problem is highlighted by thoughts and comments from industry experts and day-to-day EC practitioners.  These perspectives represent a range of organizations, including Arena, M-Files, Omnify, Oracle, Synergis and others.  It quickly becomes clear that a new approach to information management – whether it be PDM, ECM, or PLM – is key to modernizing EC.  However, Albright is careful to avoid picking sides.  Despite this impartial analysis, PLM seems to break away from the pack.

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Proposal Management Module

Proposal Management Module

A “Quote-to-Cash” Extension for Engineer/Build-to-Order Organizations

You may have heard about this expression “Quote to Cash.”  Admittedly, it can sound a bit flippant.  If only it were that easy.  But, what if you could create significant efficiencies in the proposal process and drive cash in a shorter period of time?

Well, that’s the idea behind one of our newest lab projects… the Proposal Management Module.  The goal is to help sales capture requirements, repurpose those into a proposal, pass the information on directly to planning and engineering, and do this without loss of “data fidelity”.  If this process can be accelerated, then it stands to reason that the potential for delivery and invoicing are shortened as well.

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