How to Know When Engineering Change Outgrows SOLIDWORKS PDM

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional has a reputation for being reliable, powerful, and flexible for data management. It is the dominant configurable and secure file management solution for SOLIDWORKS.

As your data requirements grow, so do the complex processes to control that data. SOLIDWORKS Manage extends SOLIDWORKS PDM by adding advanced process control to tame the complexity of engineering change, making it accessible for all project stakeholders.

How SOLIDWORKS PDM Handles Early Change Requirements

SOLIDWORKS PDM is a critical tool for ensuring your team is effectively managing engineering data. That data includes CAD files, finalized PDFs, and dozens of different file types that serve as the most important aspect of your organization.

Basic Workflows

SOLIDWORKS PDM workflows allow you to map the unique approval processes for all the files in your vault. For some documents, you might have a simple approval, whereas engineering CAD would require more sign-offs.

This works great to enable engineers, managers, and other stakeholders to sign off on data.

Engineering Change Workflows

When an approved file needs to be revised, an engineering change request is often created. SOLIDWORKS PDM can have customized workflows, templates, and documents to help your team manage engineering change.

The change documents, related images or communication, and affected files are all tracked in SOLIDWORKS PDM, giving visibility to vault users.

This works great to track complex requirements and make sure everything is revised properly.

Data Visibility

Within the vault, files can be restricted so that groups who may not need to see in-work files will not know they exist. Once the workflow is completed, a new version is released, and any other documentation is generated, the new revision will replace the old for all to see.

This works for hiding active changes from production to avoid costly mistakes.

When Change Processes Grow Beyond Engineering

Many people often think that an engineering change only affects engineering. However, throughout the entire product lifecycle, there are ripple effects throughout the entire organization, from purchasing to production.

When an engineering change occurs:

• Engineering has to update the models and documentation
• Purchasing has to verify that they are ordering the correct revision
• Manufacturing has to double-check that the new revision can be manufactured
• Quality has to create new inspection packages

Depending on your organization, this might just be a small subset of changes that occur if a simple part is revised. While SOLIDWORKS PDM can send out electronic notifications to affected parties to gather approval, it lacks the nuanced complexity for these situations.

Additional workflow customizations are required that will ultimately overcomplicate engineering and slow down production. It can be hard for SOLIDWORKS PDM to answer the questions “why has this part been changed”, “who is it waiting to be approved by”, and “what stage is next in this process”.

Extending SOLIDWORKS PDM with SOLIDWORKS Manage

Teams are usually concerned about leaving SOLIDWORKS PDM behind if they find that their engineering change processes outgrow it. Fortunately, SOLIDWORKS Manage extends their vault rather than replacing it outright.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Users

Traditional SOLIDWORKS PDM users in engineering won’t have to leave that environment behind. SOLIDWORKS Manage has a built-in integration for the vault, allowing quick access to lifecycle-related commands and to easily find objects from other business units.

The SOLIDWORKS Manage interface in the vault

SOLIDWORKS Manage Users

For those who don’t need daily interaction with CAD data and instead just need general visibility, there is information presented to them from SOLIDWORKS Manage. Aside from the traditional objects and records, they will be able to view SOLIDWORKS PDM properties, state, and file previews without needing the local client.

Providing vault information to all users

Enhancing Engineering Change Processes

SOLIDWORKS Manage enables teams to look at engineering change at the business level rather than the individual department level. These processes can be heavily customized to include key steps, stakeholder approvals, and drive the workflows in SOLIDWORKS PDM.

A simple process in SOLIDWORKS Manage

For example, an engineering change can start in the field before sending it to engineering to update CAD. Through automation, it can allow visibility for marketing to add their updated images or ensure legal gets a report when something has to go through a strict approval process.

Process Visibility for All Stakeholders

The most challenging aspect of any formal process is properly updating stakeholders on the current stage. This often results in long email chains, daily standups, or constantly reviewing files for changes.

Engineering change dashboard

SOLIDWORKS Manage can generate dashboards full of useful information to not only track engineering change but also other information in the vault. While this is possible in SOLIDWORKS PDM, it is more cumbersome than using the purpose-built dashboards in SOLIDWORKS Manage.

Key Signs Your Processes Have Outgrown SOLIDWORKS PDM

SOLIDWORKS PDM is great at managing data, but it can fall short when working on complex processes. There typically isn’t one major sign that you’ve outgrown it, but rather many instances where you need more capability.

Core reasons to upgrade to SOLIDWORKS Manage include:

• Increased volume of engineering changes
• Change processes require multiple groups’ approval
• Additional visibility for process tracking
• Manual report and documentation creation for revisions
• More time spent chasing revisions than completing the work

SOLIDWORKS Manage is a very powerful tool, and processes are only one part of it that can make your company more efficient and bring your different departments together. Reach out to us if you have questions on how we can help your organization to uncomplicate your processes.

To learn more about implementing SOLIDWORKS Manage for your organization, click here.