In-depth analysis tagged configuration management — covering PLM history, vendor strategy, and the technical decisions reshaping engineering software.
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A configuration audit is an evaluation process that verifies the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of product configurations within a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system, ensuring compliance with design intent, regulatory requirements, and business rules. It involves checking the integrity of product data, identifying discrepancies, and making necessary corrections to maintain a reliable and up-to-date configuration management record.
In Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), a Configuration Baseline is a predefined set of product parameters, specifications, and attributes that serve as a reference point for changes to a product's design or configuration. It ensures consistency and accuracy across the product development process by providing a single source of truth for product information.
Configuration Management is the PLM discipline that answers the question: 'which version of the product did we ship to which customer, and what is in it?' It governs variants (different flavors of the same product line), options (customer-selectable features), and effectivity (the date or serial number at which a change applies). Configuration management ensures the as-shipped configuration of a specific unit — including the precise revision of every component — is recoverable years later for service, recall, audit, or regulatory inquiry.
Engineering Change Management (ECM) is a systematic process used in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to identify, evaluate, implement, and track changes to products, processes, or systems across the entire product lifecycle. It ensures that changes are properly documented, approved, and implemented to minimize disruptions and maximize business value.
In Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Variant Management refers to the process of creating, managing, and controlling variations of a product design or configuration across different production runs, batches, or markets. This involves maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of variant specifications, tolerances, and manufacturing processes to ensure consistency and quality control throughout the product lifecycle.
