8. Configuration Management
Configuration Management is the means by which all feasible variants of a single product are managed from the same BoM. It's what lets a manufacturer offer market-specific variants and the degree of individualisation expected of complex engineered products without collapsing into multiple parallel BoMs with duplicated parts. The eighth instalment of QR_'s PLM Essentials series covers what Configuration Management aims to achieve, its stakeholders, the decision criteria for a greenfield setup, and the choices made for an EV start-up.
Inside this guide
What Configuration Management aims to achieve. Why a single BoM with managed configurability beats an unwieldy stack of parallel structures, and what that unlocks operationally — from release efficiency to audit traceability.
Who the stakeholders are. The roles most affected by Configuration Management choices, from engineering and programme management through manufacturing and into aftermarket service.
Decision criteria for a greenfield implementation. How to trade configurability against complexity when you have the luxury of a blank page — and the heuristics for deciding how far to push in either direction.
Case study: an EV start-up. The context-specific justifications behind the choices QR_ made alongside a small but ambitious electric vehicle manufacturer, and what the resulting setup looked like in practice.
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