MCO (Standard) Lifecycle

MCO (Standard) is the policy used for creating MCOs and for automatically-created MCOs. This policy allows you to use Approval Lists, Distribution Lists and ad-hoc routes or state-based routes to move the MCO through its lifecycle.

The following topics are discussed:

About the MCO Lifecycle

Important: Information on the deprecated MCO policy is no longer included in this documentation. Any MCO created in version 2011 or earlier that use the MCO policy will continue to use the MCO policy until it is released. For details on the MCO policy, consult the Application Exchange Framework User's Guide for V6R2011 or earlier.

An MCO (Standard) can be created by any user with the MCO Coordinator role. This Lead Role must be assigned to a user in a plant before an MCO can be created. Only one user in a plant can have the MCO Coordinator role.

There are two ways to create an MCO (Standard):


  • Use the "Create MCO" command from the global toolbar. When creating an MCO (Standard) from the global toolbar, the MCO Coordinator assigns a responsible manufacturing plant to the MCO (Standard).
  • Release an ECO or MECO, which automatically creates a new MCO (Standard) for each affected plant. The MCO (Standard) is pending and assigned a pending target start date. A Manufacturing Engineer is required to modify and approve changes released by the MCO (Standard). The Manufacturing Engineer sets a start date to promote and implement the changes released by the MCO (Standard).

Details about the MCO (Standard), except the start date, can only be modified in the Create State. The start date can be modified in any state except Implemented.

Create

When an MCO (Standard) is automatically created, an MCO creation trigger notifies and assigns the MCO (Standard) to the person with the active MCO Coordinator role in the affected plant. For both manually and automatically created MCO (Standard)s, the MCO Coordinator assigns a Responsible Manufacturing Engineer (RME) and a Responsible Senior Manufacturing Engineer to the MCO (Standard).

An MCO (Standard)'s name is automatically generated. The MCO Coordinator selects a plant that will have manufacturing responsibility for the MCO (Standard). Only the MCO Coordinator who is a member of the selected responsible manufacturing plant can create an MCO (Standard) for that plant.

The RME connects all required changes to the MCO (Standard) and assigns a start date to promote and implement the changes released by the MCO (Standard). The RME can assign an approval route template to handle the creation of the approval route. As soon as route requirements are approved, the MCO (Standard) is promoted to the next state. State promotion triggers will check and create routes based on the selected approval route.

Review

As the MCO (Standard) enters the Review state, the MCO (Standard) is assigned to the Responsible Senior Manufacturing Engineer and a notification is sent to that person indicating that the MCO (Standard) requires attention. A route is created and started using the approval route template. The route is created between the Review and Release states and all tasks must be completed before the MCO (Standard) can be promoted to Release. When all tasks are complete, the route owner receives notification and can then promote the ECO. If a route already exists, which may happen on demote and subsequent promote, then a new route is not created.

In the Review state, the RME reviews the attached parts and specifications and ensures that all are in the Release state or any state after. If the distribution list is assigned and all route tasks have been approved and the approval route is complete, then the MCO (Standard) can be promoted to the Release state. If the MCO (Standard) is not ready for release, it can be demoted back to Create, in which case it will be reassigned to the Responsible Manufacturing Engineer, who is sent a notification indicating that the MCO (Standard) has been reassigned and needs attention. Also, a trigger creates a new approval list route since the original one was already completed in order to get to this state.

Release

The Release state indicates that the MCO (Standard) has been released and all affected changes have been made.

As the MCO (Standard) enters the Release state, if the MCO (Standard) has not been assigned a manufacturing responsibility, an action fires that automatically changes the owner of the MCO (Standard) to a special user in the system, "Corporate." This locks down the MCO (Standard) so no additional changes can be made and removes the MCO (Standard) from the engineer's desk. The distribution list members are notified of the release of the MCO (Standard). All connected part revisions are promoted to the Release state.

Implemented

In this state the owner is Corporate. The MCO (Standard) reaches this state on the assigned start date. This is handled through a trigger on the MCO (Standard) lifecycle. The BOMs corresponding to the changes released by the MCO (Standard) are activated for the affected plants.

When the MCO is promoted to the Implemented state, the system automatically:


  • Disconnects any distribution list or approval list from the MCO.
  • Promotes all ECOs associated with the MCO to the Implemented state, if the appropriate trigger is activated.
  • Checks for any associated MECOs and promotes them to the Implemented state.