The Scope of Variant Configuration Central | ||||||
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Product Portfolio
The process starts with Product Managers organizing their company’s portfolio of products. A portfolio of products includes product lines, a product series (or models), product catalogs, a library of features and rules, and specific design responsibility definitions.
Creating product lines
The definition of product lines and models allows companies to publicize the products and services they provide. A product line can have one or more sub product lines. Product lines manage models and models manage products. For example, a Wireless Phone could be a product line that includes a collection of models. Models give full visibility of all the builds created for the product or product configuration managed by that model. Product Managers and Software Managers can create new builds to plan and manage products that fulfill specific customer needs. Additionally, a portfolio can be created that groups products and models in order to view the collective roadmap of those products and models. For details on all the objects described above, see the Product Line Management User Guide.
Assigning design responsibility
Design Responsibility is assigned during product line creation and sets access security on all objects managed by that product line. The design responsibility is inherited down the structure by models, products, etc. For details, see Assigning Design Responsibility in the Product Line Management User Guide.
Creating mandatory features and rules
Mandatory features and rules are maintained at the product line level and promote product consistency. Features and rules can be defined as mandatory or non-mandatory. A feature or rule that is mandatory is inherited by all lower level models and products. They form the basis of product definitions.
Product Architecture
After a product portfolio has been defined, System Engineers can define a base functional product structure. This base functional product structure is the conceptual or standard product structure used to drive new product offerings to the market. The base functional product serves as a consistent controlled product structure definition from which product variants are created. The base functional product structure includes all possible variations and clearly marks the configuration feature structure and logical feature structure.
Creating product variants
Once a base functional product is defined, product variants can be created that fulfill specific customer orders. Product variants serve as the framework for generating an EBOM. Product variants contain specific technical capabilities and are used to control the number of product variations available for marketing configuration. For example, if the primary product is a wireless phone, product variants may include a deluxe wireless phone that includes a camera and a premium wireless phone that includes a camera and GPS.
Searching for reusable product structures
A base functional product structure can be reused to maximize part re-use and control feature proliferation. A product structure can be reused in many ways. These ways include comparing it to a logically equivalent product structure and synchronizing their differences, editing its logical feature structure, copying some or all of its features, or by consolidating like features and merging GBOM part tables.
Feature Decomposition
Once the base functional product structure and its product variants are defined, System Engineers can further refine the marketing and logical feature structures. The structures and rules defined during feature decomposition are used to validate possible product configurations.
Configuration features drive the part selection within the logical feature structure. They are the marketing options in a product and define the configuration choices available logical features can have one or many parts associated with them. These parts represent configurability.
Creating design variants (marketing options)
Design variants are configuration features managed and owned by product marketing at the product line level or product level. Design variants represent market variability and organize the possible design conditions for a logical feature. They are used to define inclusion rules for parts in logical features.
Creating a GBOM part table
Once logical feature structure and it’s design variants are determined, System Engineers can create a General Bill of Materials (GBOM) for the product. The GBOM lists all the parts that could be used to build the product. From the GBOM part table, System Engineers can add and remove design variants which modify part inclusion rules.
Creating feature-specific rules
Upon reviewing the GBOM part table, additional feature-specific rules may need to be applied to define which parts are required for a valid configuration of the product. Rules can be owned and used by across multiple product lines or products. Rules can be copied to other products and serve as starting points for new rules. Additionally, marketing preferences can be defined that limit the marketing choices or feature options for configuration features in a product configuration. Marketing preferences can be defined for a product line, model, or product. Marketing preferences override any default feature options selected for a configuration feature.
Releasing a product (and all its product variants)
When a System Engineer is satisfied with the feature definitions for a product, they can assign an effective date for the configuration of that product. The engineering change process takes over, so the system automatically releases all implemented items at the specified dates. It promotes all related items to their Release state.
Product Configuration
Once feature decomposition is complete, certain members of the organization with design responsibility can begin creating product configurations. A product configuration is a unique list of features and options for a product that is ordered or selected by an internal engineering department, or by a customer. The structures and rules defined during feature decomposition for the product are used to validate these product configurations and to generate a Precise Bill of Materials (PBOM). The PBOM is a flat list of all parts needed to manufacture a product.
Searching for similar product configurations
To streamline the product configuration process, System Engineers can search for existing product configurations to use as starting points for new customer orders.
Creating a product configuration
Product Engineers and Design Engineers can create a product configuration either stand-alone or in the context of a product. Any configuration can be customized for a company to ensure on-time delivery of a product while fulfilling all customer expectations. You can build product configurations with interactive rule validation as marketing choices are made and key in values for specific customizations that can be evaluated and assessed by System Engineers.
Saving and activating a product configuration
When System Engineers are satisfied with their product configuration, they can assign an effective date for the configuration. Engineering change process takes over, so the system automatically releases all implemented items at the specified dates. It promotes all related items to their Release state.
Bill of Materials Generation
ENOVIA Variant Configuration Central automates the Engineering Bill of Materials (EBOM) generation process with part annotation logic that uses a feature’s design variant definition.
Previewing an EBOM
Before generating an EBOM, System Engineers and Design Engineers can preview the EBOM to ensure that it references all the correct parts. The Preview EBOM page shows a preview of the EBOM structure and lists all selected parts. Visual cues are shown where a part may be missing or an incorrect part may be selected. From this page any errors can be resolved by creating a new part, adding an existing part, or replacing a selected part.