Changing Change Management with Fusion Manage

Change management is a critical process for any manufacturing company, but it can often be complex and time-consuming. Autodesk Fusion manage offers powerful tools to streamline this process, improving efficiency and reducing errors. Notably, Fusion Manage is often purchased alongside Autodesk Vault in the Vault PLM license, providing a cost-effective way for Vault users to introduce new systems like advanced change management.

A cornerstone of effective product development is efficient change management. Autodesk Fusion Manage addresses this need by providing a centralised repository for all product-related data and processes, ensuring that everyone operates with the latest information. This eliminates the confusion and errors that arise from outdated or conflicting data. For those already utilising Autodesk Vault for design data management, Fusion Manage expands this centralised approach to encompass a broader spectrum of product lifecycle information, including design files, bills of materials (BOMs), specifications and engineering change orders (ECOs). This ensures that all stakeholders have access to the most current and accurate data, preventing costly mistakes and streamlining communication and collaboration across departments.

Furthermore, Fusion Manage streamlines change processes through automated workflows for change requests, change orders and other related activities. This automation accelerates the change process, reduces manual effort and enhances accuracy. For instance, change requests can be automatically routed to the appropriate reviewers and approvers, with timely notifications and reminders. Once approved, a change order can trigger automatic updates to related Items and Processes and notify affected parties, minimising manual intervention and duplication of documentation.

Collaboration is also enhanced, as Fusion Manage provides a centralised platform for communication and feedback between teams such as engineering, manufacturing and quality. This fosters alignment among stakeholders and ensures smooth change implementation. Teams can collaborate on change requests and change orders, utilising tools for markup, commenting and redlining to ensure all perspectives are considered and decisions are made with a comprehensive understanding of the potential impact.

Moreover, Fusion Manage provides a complete history of all the changes, making it easy to track their status, identify the responsible parties and understand the rationale behind them. This traceability is crucial for compliance and quality control, with Fusion Manage maintaining a detailed audit trail of all change-related activities. This not only supports regulatory compliance, but also offers valuable insights for process improvement and root cause analysis.

Integration with other business systems, such as ERP and CAD, is another key capability with PDM Booster is used for. PDM Booster ensures seamless data flow and eliminates manual data entry. For Autodesk Vault users, Fusions Manage compliments existing systems by ensuring that design data in Vault aligns with broader product lifecycle data managed in Fusion Manage. This integration eliminates data silos and ensures data consistency across the organisation. For example, when a change order is released in Fusion Manage, the updated BOM can be automatically transferred to the ERP system.