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We'll reduce the cycle time for engineering changes The ECM system will improve the change process in many ways. The system will make sure that all relevant information is sent to each individual as soon as possible. As soon as one task is finished, the system will inform the person responsible for the next task that they can start work. If someone doesn't respond within a certain time, the system will pass the task to the most appropriate person. Apparently small savings of this type will add up to give significant benefits. These time savings should translate into cost reduction, faster cycle times and improved productivity. We can reduce the costs of change management Once our ECM system is up and running, it will do a lot of the overhead activities associated with change management automatically, so we'll be able to reduce the number of people involved in change management and control. We'll be able to cut out a lot of administrative paper shuffling. This will help save time and also reduce overhead costs. We'll get the benefits of electronic change information flow One of the features of an ECM system is electronic transmission of information. In its absence, traditional manual methods of information distribution would be used. The transfer of information, on paper, to a distant site might take several days. The electronic change system only requires a few minutes. This fast transfer time allows for interactive and responsive working modes between geographically distant sites. It saves time, cuts costs and provides efficient and error-free communication. Information can be sent across the network in electronic folders, reducing the need to put information on paper and then produce and distribute multiple copies. We'll get better status information on our changes Our manual engineering change management system is so cumbersome we don't know the up-to-date status of changes. Usually we know what the status was about a month ago, but don't know anything more recent because the change is still working its way through the system. With a good ECM system, if we have a simple query we won't have to wait days to get the answer. We'll make queries on-line, and then take the required action - saving time and money. We'll be able to make sure the best change process is followed Once the change process has been analyzed, and the most appropriate layout of tasks has been identified, the organization will, at last, have the opportunity to take control of the change process, and make sure that things are done properly. A good ECM system can automatically route change information round the organization in a predetermined way. Provided that the predetermined way is the most appropriate way, the change management system will make sure that the most appropriate process is followed. We'll improve engineering change resource utilization and co-ordination With the process clearly defined and under control, the change system can select which people should receive tasks at a particular time. It can ensure tasks get done in the right order by the most suitably qualified people available without continually rescheduling the entire plan. It can also ensure that those who do not need to be involved in a change can focus on their work without unnecessary disturbance. The productivity of individuals will increase, as will overall product development performance. We'll have an audit trail of engineering change activities The ECM system controls the flow of work so it can easily provide information as to the tasks carried out on the project. This information could include, but not be limited to, the name of the person who carried out the task, when they started working on it, who they received it from, when they stopped working on it, etc. If anything goes wrong we'll be able to track back and see what happened. The ECM system will bring engineers on different sites together to work on changes The system will be able to work across national barriers. It will also be able to work across departmental and corporate barriers. Once the most appropriate change routing has been determined, tasks and information can be sent anywhere on the network. We'll be able to make better change management plans The ECM system will provide information about past changes, such as how long they should have taken, how long they took, and where problems occurred. It will also provide information about the future availability of engineering resources. Good information about the past and about the future is what we need to make good plans for the Engineering department. We'll get more reliable estimates of change costs and times For a particular change we'll be able to refer back to similar changes to see what kind of resources were needed, how much time they took, how much they cost, and the extent to which they followed the plan. We'll use this information to provide better estimates for a change. An ECM system will make changes easier to manage Automated reporting on the progress of a change is faster, cheaper and less liable to suffer from transmission and transcription errors than manual reporting. With the right information available, changes will be easier to manage. We'll be able to run changes in parallel and get them done quicker With an ECM system we'll know what's happening on a change, and we'll be in control. We'll do things that were too risky without a good system because we weren't sure of the status of different changes, we didn't know how much progress had been made, and weren't sure of the value of information until a change was released. With an ECM system, status will be clear, even down to the level of individual sub-tasks and components of the change. We'll be more responsive to change An ECM system will keep us up-to-date with change progress, so if a change is needed to a change it will be easy to respond. We'll know the exact status of the change. We'll know what needs to be done. We'll decide what to do and then send the new plan out over the network. |