engineering change management (automotive) (ECM)

Engineering Change Management(ECM) is a strategy that is mainly used in the automotive industry. However, the term change management is also used in network management and project management.

In the context of automotive technology, change management is used in development and especially in the start-up phase of series production and is intended to integrate changes that occur promptly into the production process, thereby helping to reduce time and costs. Technical changes may be necessitated by production optimization, by changes in market and competitive situations, or by more comprehensive quality and safety requirements. They are introduced into the change process by all companies and departments involved in the project.

Engineering Change Management (ECM) is defined in a VDA recommendation, VDA 4965, and is based on international standards. It describes a reference process into which the changes flow through interactions.