An alternative framework for managing engineering change (original) (raw)
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Towards a Universal Model of Engineering Change Management
Journal of the Knowledge Economy
The paper deals with the issue of engineering change management (ECM). ECM has received much less attention in the literature than general change management. Moreover, due to their specifics (complexity and multifaceted nature), hitherto developed ECM models are difficult to implement in companies. The paper aims to develop a simplified, universal, and hence easily applicable model of ECM. We based our assumptions on a case study of a manufacturing company with low-volume production, representing a high-mix type, posing the following research question: how to improve the ECM process to make it simpler and more quickly adaptable in companies with the analyzed type of production when compared to the existing models? To answer this question, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted in late 2021/early 2022 using in-depth personal interviews. The research sample included 31 employees involved in ECM processes. Conventional qualitative content analysis was the primary technique for ...
Development of an Engineering Change Management Capability Framework for Enterprise Transformation
With the current financial crisis focus of product development in industry has centred on efficient variant development and increasing the utilisation of existing products and platforms. Together with this change in focus the handling of engineering changes has grown in importance. Several studies however document a slow and inefficient handling of engineering changes, indicating a general low maturity of this area in industry, e.g. (Sharafi et al., 2012), . Although a noticeable amount of work has been published on engineering change, the literature, as highlighted by Jarratt et al. in a recent extensive literature review, overwhelmingly points to the need for more comprehensive guidance in how engineering changes can be handled more efficiently. This paper seeks to address this gap using a capability perspective. Based on literature review and a case study, the process areas especially important to develop capabilities within to ensure an efficient change handling are identified, and an ECM capability framework is proposed. This paper thus enables further research to focus on clarifying ECM capabilities, maturity levels and levers.
Engineering change: an overview and perspective on the literature
Research in Engineering Design, 2011
Engineering change has grown steadily in prominence both as an important issue for industry and as an active academic research area. This paper provides a categorised overview and perspective on the published academic literature on engineering change. The aim is to give new researchers an understanding of the field’s breadth and depth, as well as pointers towards additional information, and established researchers a non-dogmatic summary perspective on the work accomplished in this area. Change is defined as an alteration made to parts, drawings or software that have already been released during the product design process and life cycle, regardless of the scale or the type of the change. A change may encompass any modification to the form, fit and/or function of the product as a whole or in part, and may alter the interactions and dependencies of the constituent elements of the product. Key aspects of the engineering change process are highlighted along with the tools and methods that are available to support the process. The nature of products (in terms of complexity, architecture and degree of innovation) and how that affects engineering change are covered. Important related areas such as organisational structure and employee attitudes are also highlighted. The paper concludes by discussing different strategies that have been proposed to cope with engineering change in today’s manufacturing environment.
International Journal of Production Research, 2020
Engineering Changes (ECs) are a fact of life for companies in the Engineer-To-Order (ETO) production environment. Various Engineering Change Management (ECM) strategies, practices and tools exist, but no explicit distinction has been made regarding ECM in different production environments. Using a multiple case study method, this article investigates how ETO companies manage ECs and how ETO characteristics influence ECM. A generic ECM framework was developed and used to map ECM in the cases. The study showed that ETO companies use similar practices for handling ECs, while ECM tools are either not used by the companies or used to a very limited extent. It was found that the use of some ECM practices and tools is complicated by specific ETO company characteristics. However, no reasons were found for the lack of computer-based tools, change propagation and impact assessment tools, change reduction and front-loading tools, and design tools. This suggests, firstly, that there is vast roo...
Paradoxes in the Engineering Change Management Process
Zeszyty Naukowe - Politechnika Śląska. Organizacja i Zarządzanie, 2023
The main purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and operationalize paradoxes that are significant in the engineering change management (ECM) process. The following research question was stated: What are the paradoxes that influence the ECM process, and how can they be measured? Design/methodology/approach: The study is divided into two parts: conceptualization and operationalization. Conceptualization involved a literature review, which allowed for identifying initial categories of paradoxes that were later verified during in-depth personal interviews with the study participants. The subsequent operationalization involved developing a measurement tool which is a semantic differential scale that allows for assessing the perceived current and desired approach to solving paradoxes affecting ECM. The tool was revised based on in-depth personal interviews with participants of the ECM process. For the study, a manufacturing company which implemented a change management process was selected. Findings: Four general groups of paradoxes previously identified in the paradox theory literature (i.e. learning, belonging, performing, and organizing) were used to develop a list of paradoxes specific to the ECM process. In-depth interviews allowed to obtain data from experienced participants of the process, which was used to verify the preliminary list. The result of this verification was the list of 12 paradoxes that was included in the final measurement tool. Research limitations: Even though the study involved well-informed participants who are experienced in the ECM process, they represented a single company. Additionally, the proposed research tool may require further verification in subsequent studies. Practical implications: The knowledge regarding paradoxes specific to the ECM process and the created tool can be helpful for change administrators, project managers, and other stakeholders. They allow to define the areas of most significant tensions in the ECM process that require attention and effort. Originality/value: This paper's main value pertains to two different domains-cognitive and methodic. The undertaken attempt to include paradoxes and their significance in the analysis of the ECM process broadens the current understanding of process determinants. The proposed research tool, which is based on a well-grounded theoretical approach to paradoxes and adapted to fit the ECM process, can be used in further research.
Change Management Models: Commonalities and Key Challenges in the Industry
ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion
It can be argued that managing change is crucial for any organisation to survive and succeed in the present highly competitive and continuously evolving business environment. However, theories and approaches to change management currently available to academics and practitioners are often contradictory, mostly lacking empirical evidence and supported by unchallenged hypotheses concerning the nature of contemporary organisational change management. This paper seeks to understand the key challenges faced when implementing change management projects in the industry, especially in aerospace, and the commonalities across existing change management methodologies. The paper describes results from interviews with industry experts and the literature review to provide a discerning sight of the challenges faced when implementing change management projects and the components shared by the available methodologies.
Requirements-based development of an improved engineering change management method
Journal of Engineering Design, 2013
Engineering changes (ECs) are essential in complex product development, and their management is a crucial discipline for engineering industries. Numerous methods have been developed to support EC management (ECM), of which the change prediction method (CPM) is one of the most established. This article contributes a requirements-based benchmarking approach to assess and improve existing methods. The CPM is selected to be improved. First, based on a comprehensive literature survey and insights from industrial case studies, a set of 25 requirements for change management methods are developed. Second, these requirements are used as benchmarking criteria to assess the CPM in comparison to seven other promising methods. Third, the best-in-class solutions for each requirement are investigated to draw improvement suggestions for the CPM. Finally, an enhanced ECM method which implements these improvements is presented. 766 B. Hamraz et al. the implementation of necessary ECs to be completed in less time, incurring lower cost, and with better quality. Recent literature reviews (e.g. Jarratt et al. 2011; Hamraz, Caldwell, and Clarkson 2013) reveal numerous ECM methods, amongst which the change prediction method (CPM) from Clarkson, Simons, and Eckert is one of the most established and one of the very few methods which is available as a computer tool. In this paper, we aim at improving CPM through a benchmarking approach which follows four steps. First, we develop a list of requirements for ECM methods through investigation of current methods complemented by case study experience. Second, we use these requirements as benchmark criteria to assess CPM as well as seven other promising ECM methods. The best-in-class methods for each criterion are identified. Third, we study these benchmarks and draw improvement suggestions for CPM to close the competitive gaps to the other seven methods. Fourth, we describe how an improved ECM method known as the function-behaviourstructure (FBS) linkage method was developed to address these points. The data structure of the FBS linkage method is described in detail elsewhere (Hamraz, Caldwell, and Clarkson 2012); the present paper adds an insight by detailing the modelling process and by showing how the method provides an improvement to CPM with respect to the identified requirements.
Managing engineering changes in the engineer-to-order environment: challenges and research needs
IFAC-PapersOnLine, 2018
Engineering changes (ECs) in companies in the engineer-to-order (ETO) production environment are practically unavoidable. It is important for ETO companies to accommodate ECs throughout the project duration, effectively and efficiently managing them in order to decrease their potential detrimental consequences. A lot of research exists on engineering change management (ECM) in general, but our study reveals a need for further investigation of ECM in the ETO sector. This theoretical study has two main contributions: (i) analysis of research on ECM, outlining general challenges and discussing these in the light of the ETO production environment, and (ii) suggestions for future research.
Information models used to manage engineering change: A review of the literature 2005-2010
2011
ABSTRACT Engineering change is a significant part of any product development programme. Changes can arise at many points throughout the product life-cycle, resulting in rework which can ripple through different stages of the design process. Managing change processes is thus a critical aspect of any design project, especially in complex design. Through a literature review, this paper shows the diversity of information models used by different change management methods proposed in the literature.
Change management practices for adopting new technologies in the design and construction industry
Journal of Information Technology in Construction
The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has often been accused of being slow to adopt change. Yet the breadth of available technology solutions in the modern AEC industry continues to grow. Companies therefore must be adept at organizational change management; otherwise, the full benefits of technology solutions may never be realized when a company fails to achieve successful change adoption. The objective of this study was to identify the relationships between specific change management practices and organizational adoption of new technology solutions. An industry-wide approach was taken, wherein an online survey methodology was used to collect 167 cases of organization-wide change from AEC firms across the United States and Canada. The method of analysis included a correlation analysis between change management practices and change adoption. Reliability testing and principal components analysis were used to extract a single construct measure of change adopti...