Häufig gestellte Fragen
Is there a norm or standard for configuration management?
The central international reference is ISO 10007 (adopted in Germany as DIN ISO 10007, in its current version ISO 10007:2017 and the German edition DIN ISO 10007:2020-10), which serves as a guideline for configuration management within quality management. It divides configuration management into four sub-processes: configuration identification, configuration control or change control, configuration status accounting, and configuration audit. In the IT-related environment, the ITIL framework also applies, which provides for a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) to manage configuration items and their dependencies. Which of these requirements is bindingly relevant depends on the industry, regulation and the specific system landscape.
What is the difference between configuration management and a backup?
A backup is a safety copy that restores data after it has already been lost or damaged, so it works retrospectively. Configuration management, by contrast, takes a forward-looking approach and prevents unwanted or unnoticed state changes from the outset through controlled request, approval and transport processes. While a backup merely freezes the data state at a point in time, configuration management documents without gaps who changed which setting, when and for what reason. The two complement each other but do not replace each other: the backup remains the safety net, configuration management the organising framework for controlled changes.
What distinguishes as-designed from as-built and as-maintained?
These three terms describe different configuration states of a product across its lifecycle. As-designed refers to the original engineering specification, i.e. the configuration as it was designed and released. As-built describes the configuration as actually manufactured and delivered, which may deviate from the specification due to material substitution or supply shortages, for example. As-maintained, finally, reflects the current state including all subsequent service updates, retrofits and repairs, and is particularly critical for the long-term maintenance of safety-critical equipment.
Which industries need strict configuration management?
Particularly strict requirements exist in aerospace, defence, medical technology, power generation with power plants, and the rail sector. In all of these fields, approval authorities, safety audits and long-term maintenance obligations demand a configuration state for every component that can be traced exactly at any time. The precise implementation varies by ERP system and industry, which is why the specific design should be coordinated with the respective vendor. Practical relevance and implementation effort depend heavily on the existing system landscape and the business processes to be mapped.
When do I need Engineering Change Management (ECM)?
Engineering change management becomes relevant as soon as a company develops its own products with multi-level bills of materials and needs to control technical changes across their lifecycle, which is almost universally the case in mechanical engineering, the automotive industry and electronics. A systematic process is typically structured into a change request (Engineering Change Request, ECR), an approved change order (Engineering Change Order, ECO) and a final change notification (Engineering Change Notice, ECN). In practice, the exact design varies by industry, company size and the customisation depth of the specific ERP setup. A well-founded assessment therefore always requires a look at the company's individual business processes and IT roadmap.
Should engineering change management run in the ERP or in the PLM system?
Classically, engineering change management resides in the PLM or PDM system, which manages the engineering view with CAD data, engineering bills of materials and technical documents, while the ERP system takes over only after formal release. Bidirectional interfaces synchronise product and item information between the two worlds, so that changes take effect in procurement, production and material planning in a coordinated way. Some vendors, however, integrate change management fully into the ERP system, so that no separate PLM solution is needed. Which route makes sense depends on the depth of in-house development, the frequency of changes and the existing system landscape, and should be assessed individually.