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An Engineering Change Order (ECO) is the documentation needed to complete an Engineering Change Request (ECR) for a product or process. It creates a paper trail of changes, allows for easy reversion, and may be required for various reasons. The ECO updates all relevant documents and must be approved before changes can be made.
An Engineering Change Order (ECO), also known as an Engineering Change Notice (ECN), is the documentation required to complete an Engineering Change Request (ECR). An engineering change request is a formal request to make a change to an engineered product or process. If an ECR is approved, an Engineering Change Order is completed to provide the details and specifications needed to make the requested change.
Engineering Change Requests and Change Orders are required to create a complete “paper trail,” even though the trail is often truly electronic. This paper trail records every change to a project, making it easy to revert to a previous iteration if needed. If a new process turns out to be less efficient than the old one, or a new material becomes cost-prohibitive, a complete record of the previous process or product design ensures that the design can easily be rolled back to the previous version. The documentation trail also shows stakeholders and customers that the company is working to fix issues and make improvements.
An Engineering Change Order may be required for a variety of reasons. If the ECO is for a product, the designers may have discovered a problem that needs fixing or a way to fix a weakness in the product. A product may benefit from being updated with more advanced technology or a design that can be produced at a lower cost, for example. If ECO needs to change a process, it can improve efficiency, reduce costs, or upgrade the software or tools used in the process.
A complete engineering change order updates all drawings and instructions necessary to manufacture a product or perform a process. It also updates any other relevant documents affected by the changes, such as user manuals and product pricing. The ECO should also include an analysis of how the change improves the product or process and how much the change could cost. It often includes a description of the change and drawings with the changes marked.
Once an engineering change order is produced, it must be approved by managers and possibly interested parties, depending on the type and extent of the change. The ECO often goes through several sets of changes during the approval process. Many companies simplify the process by using an electronic ECO system, which allows multiple users to suggest changes to the same document. Once changes to the ECO have been addressed and approved by all parties involved, the Engineering Change Order is complete and changes can be made.
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