SAP Engineering Change Management

[Former Member]

Introduction:

Engineering Change Management is a central logistics function that can be used to change various aspects of production basic data (for example, BOMs, task lists, materials, and documents) with history (with date effectivity) or depending on specific conditions (with parameter effectivity).

This blog aims at providing an overview of the following ECM terminologies:

• Notification
• Engineering Change Order (ECO)
• Engineering Objects
• Tasks

Notification Type :

A key that determines the origin, content, and other features of service, maintenance, design and quality notifications. The notification type 54 is being considered for demonstration.

Notification:

A data record with which a user informs the Engineering, Plant Maintenance, Quality Management, or Customer Service department etc about an occurrence.

Transaction: IQS2

Change Catalogue: Specify the nature of the problem / notification / issue

Assign the Change Coordinator who is responsible to process the notification

Attach documents, if required

View the open notifications (Notifications to be processed by me) in the transaction IQS8.

The requested change to be approved by the change coordinator. The Change Coordinator approves the notification (IQS22).

Process the Notification:

Enter the additional details of the notification the respective tabs (IQS2)

Subject: Brief about the nature of the notifications & impacted objects. Set the priority of the notification.

Choose the cause of the notification

 

Enter the cost estimate to resolve the issue

Task Creation:

Create the relevant tasks for further follow ups with other departments under notification. In this example the task for procurement department has been created & responsible person has been assigned for the task. The responsible person can view the open pending tasks for him using the transaction IQS9.

After creating all the relevant tasks, the Change Control Board (CCB) approves the notification for further processing. The status “APFC Approved for CCB” is user status. By setting this user status the system status will be updated automatically.

The responsible person of the task can view the task details in the transaction IQS9.

Complete the tasks assigned by the respective partners / users.

After obtaining the approval from CCB, the change coordinator provides his approval based on task completion.

Lead Change Master (LCM):

   A data record that groups several change packages for a complex change process and controls the conditions under which the change is effective such  as on a valid-from date.

Engineering Change Order (ECO):

  Change that impacts a product already in a productive environment.

The initial status of the ECO is 30 (ECR- Immediate Change Start)

The LCM number & the notification number are identical.

By creating the LCM with respect to ECO, the relevant tasks also will be created automatically by the system. The task to be completed by the responsible task owner as detailed already.

Processing ECO and LCM:

Set the status of the ECO to 57- ECO- In Validation at Engineering Department (Transaction CC02).

Set the status of the LCM also to 57 - In Validation at Engineering Department in transaction CCO2.

Adding Engineering Objects in ECO:

Click on “Object Types” Icon. Select the relevant objects for change like material master, BOM etc. In this example the material master object has been considered for demonstration.

After the changes have been made in the material master (Eg: Material Number 123) using this change number, the indicator “Usage” will be automatically set by the system. Now set the status of the ECO & LCM to 60 (Engineering Completed).

Technical Release of the ECO:

Once the indicator “Technical Release” is set, we can not withdraw.

The indicator “Technical Release” is set for the ECO. Now the ECO process is completed technically but the changes have been not moved to production environment.

Release LCM:

Set the status of LCM as 80 (Completed) and release key as “01- Global Release” for the LCM. This can not withdrawn. Without global release the changes are not included in the production environment.

Once the release key is set to 01 in the LCM, the ECO changes will be implemented into the production environment. The indicator “Technical Release” also will be set automatically in the LCM.

Close the notification in IQS2:

The notification will be closed with reference to the date.