Change Management

Change Management provides a controlled, clearly-defined process for users to manage changes to objects within their organization. Users can request changes to objects, manage change approvals, and track the changes to implementation. Each person in the process is assigned a responsibility that determines what they can do and are required to do in the process. Some users might review and approve changes while others might only view submitted changes. Each step in the change process can be communicated, as required, throughout the organization.

This page discusses:

Using Change Management

Change Management is available in:

  • Change Management for 3DSpace
  • Change Management for 3DDashboard
  • Change Management for Native

Change Management for 3DSpace provides all features required for users to request a change, manage it, and track it to completion. Change Management for Native and 3DDashboard environments provides features for creating and managing change actions in the Native and 3DDashboard environments, respectively. Users whose responsibilities include more than (or other than) managing change actions must use Change Management for 3DSpace.

When to Use Change Management

You use change management whenever you want to track and control changes to an object. The object can be a product, part of a product, a product design, or another object. Objects that are in production or associated with a production process usually require change management. Other objects, such as those used only in development or research processes, typically do not require change management. However, you can (or even be required to) still use it depending on your business requirements.

Who Uses Change Management

Anyone with a CHG - Change Management license has access to Change Management and can have one or more responsibilities in the change workflow. Any users with this license can submit a change request; no further roles or licenses are required. Users with other responsibilities in the change workflow must have additional app-specific roles.

The change coordinator assigns additional roles, which are specific to each change. For example, the change coordinator will assign Assignees, who to implement the change, and Reviewers, who review the change.

Governing and Implementing Changes

You use a change request and change order to govern the change and a change action to implement the change.

  • Change Request: A change request (CR) is a request to change an object. Anyone who has access to Change Management can submit a change request.
  • Change Action: A change action (CA) is used to track the implementation of a change using proposed changes that are governed using work under.
  • Change Order: A change order (CO) governs the entire change process. A CO uses one or more change actions. After all the changes are reviewed and approved, the change order is approved.

Change Management Fundamentals

Before you can use Change Management, you must become familiar with the terminology and concepts.

  • Change-required: An object is marked as change-required, when the object is required to be modified only under the authority of a change action.
  • Proposed Change: A proposed modification on an object declared in change action.
  • Realized Change: An actual modification performed on an object under authority of a change action.
  • Work under: A working mode where all modifications on objects are recorded as realized changes in the current change action.

Change Workflow

The change order governs the workflow and can follow either of two change policies. The user chooses the policy when they create the change order.

  • Fast Track policy - This policy includes all steps required to complete the change process from initiation to implementation.
  • Formal policy - This policy includes all steps in the fast track policy but also includes a Prepare lifecycle state, which allows the change initiator to examine the CAs and proposed changes associated with the change before starting the change process. It also includes an In Review state, which allows stakeholders to evaluate the changes before they are implemented.