Creating Engineering Change Requests (ECRs)

This chapter provides an overview of PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering ECRs and discusses how to create and maintain ECRs.

Understanding PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering ECRs

To more efficiently manage, organize, and prioritize the product change process within your organization, PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering provides ECR functionality. With ECRs you can:

Report product defects.
Suggest improvements.
List items and related affected information.

Note. ECRs are not required within PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering. You can use engineering change orders (ECOs) with or without them.

Prerequisites

To use priority, reason, and action codes, you need to define the codes before using the ECR-related pages. To have the system automatically generate your ECR numbers, set up automatic numbering for ECRs by using the Automatic Numbering page.

You need to define revisions prior to selecting them on the Items Affected or ECR Header pages.

If you will use the embedded document management system to access ECR and ECR item documents, you can define what function buttons will be available on the ECR document management pages by using the Documentum Component Options page.

See Also

Defining Engineering Codes

Defining Financials and Supply Chain Management Common Definitions

Managing Documents

Creating and Maintaining ECRs

This section lists common elements and discusses how to:

Enter ECR header information.
(Optional) Assign ECR header reason and action codes.
Manage ECR attachments.

Common Element Used in This Section

Where Used

Click this link to access the Select Assemblies by Items Where Used page. Use this page to find the item’s information needed to populate the Items Affected region of the page.

Pages Used to Create and Maintain ECRs

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Header - Header	EG_ECR_HEADER	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Maintain ECRs, Header, Header	Maintain ECR header information including items affected data. For quick entry, this page contains all fields required for the ECR.
Header - Reason/Action	EG_ECR_REASONS	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Maintain ECRs, Header, Reason/Action	(Optional) Associate reason and action codes with an ECR.
Header - Documents	EG_ECR_DC	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Maintain ECRs, Header, Documents	Associate, access, and manage pertinent ECR documents in the embedded document management system. See Managing Documents.
Header - Attachments	EG_ECR_ATT	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Maintain ECRs, Header, Attachments	Attach multimedia objects, or files, that relate directly to the ECR. Once attached, you can view these objects directly from this page.
Items Affected - Detail	EG_ECR_ASSY	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Maintain ECRs, Items Affected, Detail	Associate one or more new, changing, or impacted items to a specific ECR. You can also optionally add or edit revisions and EBOMs. See Entering ECR Header Information.
Items Affected - Reason/Action	EG_ECR_ASSY_RES	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Maintain ECRs, Items Affected, Reason/Action	(Optional) Associate reason and action codes for each item affected by an ECR.
Items Affected - Document	EG_ECR_ASSY_DC	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Maintain ECRs, Items Affected, Document	Associate, access, and manage pertinent item documents in the embedded document management system. See Managing Documents.
Items Affected - Attachment	EG_ECR_ASSY_ATT	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Maintain ECRs, Items Affected, Attachment	Attach multimedia objects, or files, that relate to the affected item. Once attached, you can view these objects directly from this page.
Approve/Convert ECRs	EG_ECR_APPROVAL	Engineering, Engineering Changes, Approve/Convert ECRs, Approve/Convert ECRs	Change the status of an ECR and optionally convert ECRs into ECOs. See Processing ECRs and ECOs.

Entering ECR Header Information

Access the Header - Header page.

ECR Number

Displays NEXT, if this is a new ECR and you are using automatic numbering. You can also manually number the ECR.

Status

Displays Pending, when you add an ECR. This status represents the overall state of the ECR. Other statuses includeCanceled, Denied, Approved, and Converted.

Not Accessible by Vendors

If you are using PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering, this check box is available; select it to prevent access to a specific ECR. Therefore, if vendors have been granted access with the BOM Access by Vendor page in PeopleSoft Enterprise Manufacturing, you can deny them access to a specific ECR.

Priority Code

Select the change request’s priority code. You define priority codes, which denote an ECR’s using the Engineering Priority Codes page.

Requestor and Department

Enter a requestor and department responsible for the ECR. Departments are defined in the PeopleSoft Enterprise General Ledger business unit.

Created on

Displays by default the current date and time, when you enter an ECR.

Items Affected

Type	Select the type of change. Values are: Chg (change): The ECR requests a change to an existing item. New: The ECR requests a new item to be introduced. Imp (impacts): A changed or new item impacts this item. For example, a new or changed component item has an effect on the assembly item.
Item ID	Select the changed, impacted, or new item ID. You can specify Make, Buy, Floor Stock, or Expensed items; however, you cannot specify Planning items. If the request is for a new item ID that does not exist on the Item Definition page, you can enter a placeholder item here. You can associate multiple items with a single ECR. Note. If you list an impacted item, you must also list the corresponding new or changed item that impacts it.
From Rev (from item revision)	Enter the originating revision on which you are basing the change. If the item ID is revision-controlled, then you can access this field. If the item ID is not revision-controlled, this field is display-only. Note. The from and effective revisions need to be defined with the Revision Maintenance page prior to using them here. You can add multiple ECRs that affect the same item revision.
Eff Rev (effective item revision)	Select the new revision that will be in effect after the change is implemented. If the item ID is revision-controlled, you can access this field; otherwise, it is display-only. You must have already defined this revision in the system, and the effective item revision can’t have a start date that is prior to the From Rev. After you enter the effective revision, the system displays the start date of the revision in the Eff Date (effective date) field. If the item isn’t revision-controlled, you can enter the effective date for the change. Enter the new effectivity date for which the changes will be in effect. Both Eff Rev and Eff Date fields are for informational purposes only. If you make changes to the BOM, the component ID effective and obsolete dates or revisions on the BOM should reflect this effective revision or date.
Send Email to Vendors	Click this link to send email to vendors. The email will contain one or two URLs. One URL sends the recipient back to this Maintain ECRs - Header: Header page. A second URL sends the recipient to the Change Request Detail page in PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering.
View Email Log	Click this link to access the Email Log page, where you can view the entire thread of messages sent regarding the ECR.
Vendor Access List	Click this link to access the Vendor Access List page, where you can view the list of vendors that can have access to this ECR information.

BOM/Routing Information tab

BOM Chg (BOM change)	Select this check box if the item that you selected will need a BOM introduction or will change as a result of the ECR. After the ECR is converted to an ECO, this field (along with the BOM Type and BOM Code fields) is used by the BOM transfer and mass maintenance functionality to transfer BOMs between PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering and Manufacturing. When you select BOM Chg, and you later run the engineering transfer or mass maintenance functions, the system assumes that a BOM is to be transferred or changed. If you select this check box, the BOM Type and BOM Code fields are available for selection. If you clear this check box, the BOM Type and BOM Code fields are unavailable for selection, and Production appears by default as the BOM type.
BOM Type	Select a type. Values are: Production: Use production BOMs as the basis for manufacturing. Rework: You can create rework BOMs when you have a standard rework process, where you need to include additional components. As with production BOMs, you can define a primary rework BOM and up to 98 alternates, by creating BOM codes.
Rtg Chg (routing change)	Select this check box if the item that you selected will need a routing change as a result of the ECR. This field, along with the Routing Type and Routing Code fields, is used by the engineering transfer functionality to transfer routings between PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering and PeopleSoft Enterprise Manufacturing. When you select Rtg Chg, and you later run the engineering transfer function, the system assumes that a routing is to be transferred or changed. If you select this check box, the Routing Type and Routing Code fields are available for selection. If you clear this check box, the Routing Type and Routing Code fields are unavailable for selection, and Production appears by default as the routing type.
Routing Type	Select a type. Values are: Production: Default routing type. Production routings can be used for standard manufacturing processes. Rework: You can create rework routings when you have a standard rework process. Rework routings list routing steps that are commonly used, when reworking an assembly. Teardown: The Teardown routing is used when you are breaking an assembly down into its component parts and returning the components back to inventory. Teardown routings can differ from the production routing, but can utilize any of the existing tasks or work centers defined for production.

If you enter a value in the BOM Code or Routing Code field, you are indicating that the codes associated with the item ID are impacted by the ECO. If either of those fields is left blank, you are indicating that all BOM or routing codes for the item ID are impacted. If the BOM Chg check box is selected, this indicates that one or more BOMs for the item is impacted by the ECR and the BOM Code field becomes available. Likewise, if the Rtg Chg check box is selected, this indicates that one or more routings for the item is impacted by the ECR, and the Routing Code field becomes available.

If the item’s routing is a master (or reference) routing that is currently used by another item, then the Mst Rtg (master routing) display-only check box is selected.

Note. You can, at the business unit level, control whether ECR workflow is enabled. By selecting the appropriate check boxes, you control whether the system will send ECR workflow notification. If you have enabled workflow for ECR processing, then as you add ECRs, the system creates a workflow notification, with a status of Pending, for the designated ECR/ECO analyst. The ECR/ECO analyst can then choose to approve or reject the request.

See Also

Sending Email to Vendors

Delivered Workflows for PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering

Assigning ECR Header Reason and Action Codes

Access the Header - Reason/Action page.

Reason Code and Action Code	Select values for these fields. Reason codes reflect why the change is required. Action codes are based on engineering codes and represent the foreseen potential impact of the request. You can add unlimited reason and action codes.
Text	Enter additional reason and action codes.

Note. These reasons and actions apply to the overall ECR and are not item-specific.

See Also

Defining Engineering Codes

Managing ECR Attachments

Access the Header - Attachments page.

File Ext (file extension)	Select the type of media that you want to attach. You set up file extensions using the File Locations page.
Document ID and Description	Enter the file name and description of the multimedia file that you’re attaching.

Note. Attachments have no integration or relation to the embedded document management functionality. They are most useful if you aren’t using the document management functionality.

ECR Number	Displays NEXT, if this is a new ECR and you are using automatic numbering. You can also manually number the ECR.
Status	Displays Pending, when you add an ECR. This status represents the overall state of the ECR. Other statuses includeCanceled, Denied, Approved, and Converted.
Not Accessible by Vendors	If you are using PeopleSoft Enterprise Engineering, this check box is available; select it to prevent access to a specific ECR. Therefore, if vendors have been granted access with the BOM Access by Vendor page in PeopleSoft Enterprise Manufacturing, you can deny them access to a specific ECR.
Priority Code	Select the change request’s priority code. You define priority codes, which denote an ECR’s using the Engineering Priority Codes page.
Requestor and Department	Enter a requestor and department responsible for the ECR. Departments are defined in the PeopleSoft Enterprise General Ledger business unit.
Created on	Displays by default the current date and time, when you enter an ECR.