CycleOp - Tuesday, December 28, 2010 3:57 AM:
Hi All,
Has anyone had any experience with running multiple workflows that aim to change the same part?
It seems the Innovator methodology does not support such scenario and instead is asking that all changes to a part are made in one single ECO.
Unfortunately - You cannot always do that. For example - If a change is needed while the part is already under an ECO change.
Any experience or alternative methodologies I can use ?
Thanks.
Sagi
Brian - Tuesday, December 28, 2010 6:23 AM:
Hi Sagi,
It's not really the Innovator Methodology. It's the CMII Methodology. Changing the same part in two workflows at the same time is dangerous if only from the position of "which revision am I starting from and what changes will the 'final' part incorporate".
There is nothing saying that you couldn't do it I guess but you would have to edit the methods associated with attaching parts to ECO etc. or create a new Part type and workflow that could handle it.
I think the real trick to the situation where you have a part under change and you find you need to make additional changes after you have committed the ECO to the point where you can't add anything more to it is to finish the ECO that is current, even if you don't actually do any work on the part and let the Rev Roll. Then immediately add the part to a new ECO and push the full set of changes through.
If you find yourself doing this "often" then I suggest the ECR/Investigation process is not doing it's job correctly. The ECO should be the rubber stamp to get the work done. The investigations into what is a good solution and why should all have been done before the ECO gets to the "change the part documents" stage.
Unless there is a specific, extreme, circumstance I would really push to use the processes as they are defined. At least as far as "one set of changes at a time" is concerned.
If you really need to make two sets of changes at a time you have to answer the question about what changes is the end part going to end up incorporating. Will the two "finished" parts be compatible or will one replace the other? Can you satisfy the Form, Fit and Function requirements or should one of the parts end up being a new part number and not a revision?
In pretty much all cases I suspect you will end up seeing that you either want a part that incorporates all of both changes or two different parts. If you want all of both then finish the first ECO and open a new one and get the part you are really looking for.
Cheers,
Brian.
