Change Management- CA tasks & CN tasks

[DonSenchuk]

I'm looking at expanding our change management system into other areas of our facility. I'm running into a little issue with the generalization of Change Activity tasks.

One can make multiple Change Activities within a single Change Notice. This works great for how the work is done in the Mfg Eng department. The Change Activity can be made generic enough yet still allow for some specificity if 3 tasks need to be done within the Mfg Eng dept. However, while those are going on, I need to have two unique tasks also going in two different depts. (QE and Purch). While I may be able to generalize the Change Activity workflow enough to serve all three, I'd like to avoid making it that generic if possible.

I'm looking at the CN and CA workflows and wondering if it would be possible to have two CN tasks (QE and Purch respectively) going at the same time the CA workflows are being done (Mfg Eng). Then, the CN workflow does not proceed until both the CN tasks (QE and Purch) and the CA tasks (Mfg Eng; the synch on CA complete robot) are all completed.

I think I should:

*         Put the CN tasks after the first 'Set State Implementation' robot in the CN (using the 'AND Connector') but before the 'Synch on CA Complete'.

*         Put an 'AND Connector' post 'Synch on CA Complete' robot.

If this works as I imagine, the two CN tasks and the CA task will be running simultaneously, but the overall CN workflow will not proceed to completion until both the CA sync and the CN tasks are all completed.

Is this possible? I'd have to think 'yes', but have been halted by stranger limitations than this. I guess I'm just looking for confirmation from the exploder before spending the time needed to build it and test it out only to find out after that I was on a totally wrong path.

Thanks,
Don

[MikeLockwood]

Seems like attached diagram shows this. Hopefully read it correctly.

Seems very reasonable.



Assuming you are using CA Tasks where you need Affected / Resulting objects
and CN Tasks for other.

[patrickchin2000]

Hi Don,

You can try like we did at many companies to create subtypes of Change Notices and Change Task that have their respective workflows. If you have just one Change Notice, then it is simplier or you need to create custom handlers to auto select the default Change Notice and Change Task.

My question statement and question is why not use ProjectLink for the entire product task.

The statement from PTC GS and TS is that they don't support any changes to the changemanagement workflows. Those workflows hasn't changed in years. Just got to becareful with rework, the sync on change notice implementation workflow Change Task will/might be hung for full track if you send the CN workflow all the way back to CIB review and you reset the CA workflow back to open.

Anyways, good luck

[JeffZemsky]

Some comments and observations

If you have ProjectLink – you can use the Sequencing capabilities to enable what you want and per Patrick’s comments below – using subtypes of Change Tasks will give you some additional flexibility in sequencing, workflow, attributes, etc. Additionally, if you are on 10.2 F000 or above you can even create a Change Notice Template that has the tasks and sequencing pre-defined so that with a new CN the user just needs to fill the data, rather than having to manually click and re-create all of this.

Patrick – your comment below is incorrect. We have always support tailoring the Change Management workflows and they are provided as templates to the change process. As companies needs vary per industry, company size, product type, etc. their change needs can vary and we expect tailoring to those needs. At the conference last year I gave a presentation covering the many ways you can tailor the change process for those needs.

[patrickchin2000]

Thanks Jeff,

Our PLM team at Harley-Davidson Inc.was getting really worried about the responses from PTC GS and TS teams about just adding a workflow assignment or changing the routing was not supported. Thank you confirm our understanding for the past years and the current confusion.

Patrick

[DonSenchuk]

Possibly something going on with the interaction between exploder emails and the email system at work. Did anyone see my responses?

[MikeLockwood]

Diagram (Visio) attached - think I left it off last night.

Mike Lockwood