PLM & Engineering Change Management (ECM)

Key Features

Revision control on released items and production BOMs via table/page extensions, with a complete version history and the active/superseded revision visible on every item card

Engineering Change Request (ECR) entry with originator, reason code, affected items, attachments, and a status lifecycle from draft to approved or rejected

Engineering Change Order (ECO) generation that converts an approved ECR into an executable change with effectivity dates and a controlled release step

Multi-stage, role-based approval workflows configurable by change type, value, item category, or affected BOM, built on Business Central approval entries and notifications

Impact analysis that traverses parent BOMs, routings, open production orders, and purchase lines to list everything a proposed change touches before release

Effectivity-date scheduling so a new revision activates on a planned date without breaking in-flight production or purchase orders

Event subscribers on item, BOM, and routing tables that prevent uncontrolled edits to released records outside the ECO process

Dedicated permission sets separating engineering, quality, approver, and production roles so change authority is enforced, not assumed

REST/OData v4 API endpoints for ECR/ECO data, enabling Power BI change dashboards and Power Automate flows

Optional Dataverse / Power Platform integration to surface change records in model-driven apps and Teams approvals

Audit trail capturing who requested, reviewed, approved, and released each change, with timestamps, for ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 / FDA-style traceability

Document and CAD-file attachment handling on ECR/ECO records, keeping drawings and specs tied to the controlling change

Reason and disposition codes (use-as-is, rework, scrap, return) for affected on-hand and in-transit inventory

Job-queue-driven notifications and escalations so approvals don't stall silently in an inbox

Built to order, done for you

No DIY setup — a working app, built, installed and supported by ECOSIRE.

You order

Start with a one-time build price. We scope it with you at kickoff.

We build & install

ECOSIRE builds, configures and installs it on your Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Go live + support

You go live in about 2–4 weeks, with a post-launch support window.

About this Product

Most manufacturers run engineering change off email threads, shared spreadsheets, and a PDF drawing register that nobody trusts. Meanwhile Business Central holds the released items, BOMs, and routings that production actually builds from — with no native concept of a controlled change request, an approval chain, or a revision history on a released BOM. That gap is where wrong-revision builds, scrapped inventory, and audit findings come from.

PLM & Engineering Change Management (ECM) closes it. ECOSIRE designs, builds, and installs this as a per-tenant AL extension directly on your Business Central environment (cloud or on-prem). It is not an instant AppSource download — it is engineered around your item master, BOM structure, and approval reality, then deployed and supported by our AL team.

The extension introduces revision control on released items and production BOMs via table and page extensions, a structured Engineering Change Request (ECR) and Engineering Change Order (ECO) lifecycle, and multi-stage, role-based approval workflows wired into the Business Central job queue and notification system. Before any change is released, automated impact analysis surfaces every affected parent BOM, routing, open production order, and purchase line. Effectivity dates let you schedule a change to roll out cleanly without disrupting in-flight orders.

Because it is built on native BC objects — permission sets, event subscribers on item and BOM tables, the REST/OData v4 API, and optional Dataverse/Power Platform surfacing — it behaves like part of the platform, upgrades with your environment, and exposes change data to Power BI and Power Automate. You own the engineering change process inside the ERP, with a full, defensible audit trail.

What you get

A per-tenant AL extension (.app) built, code-signed, and installed on your Business Central environment by ECOSIRE — sandbox first, then production

A discovery and design session mapping your current engineering change process onto the ECR/ECO lifecycle, revision scheme, and approval stages

Configured approval workflows, permission sets, and reason/disposition codes tailored to your roles and change types

REST/OData API endpoints and, where requested, Power BI sample reports or Power Automate approval flows for change records

Source code ownership or an escrow arrangement, plus the AL project so you are never locked to a black box

Administrator and end-user documentation covering the ECR-to-ECO flow, revision rules, and approval setup

A hand-over and training session for engineering, quality, and production users, plus a defined post-go-live support window

Who this is for

Engineering / Product-Data Manager

Owns the item master and BOMs and needs released product data under formal revision control, with a clear request-review-approve-release flow instead of ad-hoc edits and emailed drawings.

Quality / Compliance Lead

Must demonstrate a defensible change audit trail for ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or FDA-style audits — who changed what, who approved it, and when it became effective — directly from the ERP of record.

Manufacturing Operations Manager

Needs confidence that production only ever builds the current released revision, that effectivity dates protect in-flight orders, and that the impact of any change on open work is known before it ships to the floor.

How PLM & Engineering Change Management (ECM) Compares

Criterion	ECOSIRE	Custom Build	Competitor
Revision control on released items and BOMs inside BC	Included	Partial support	Partial support
Structured ECR/ECO change lifecycle	Included	Partial support	Included
Multi-stage role-based approval workflows	Included	Partial support	Partial support
Impact analysis across BOMs, routings, and open orders	Included	Not included	Partial support
Effectivity-date controlled rollout	Included	Partial support	Partial support
Built around your specific item/BOM/approval reality	Included	Included	Not included
Installed and supported by the builder on your tenant	Included	Partial support	Not included
Source-code ownership / escrow, no black box	Included	Included	Not included

Frequently Asked Questions about PLM & Engineering Change Management (ECM)

Is this an instant download from Microsoft AppSource?

No. This is a build-to-order extension. ECOSIRE designs it around your item master, BOM structure, and approval process, then builds and installs it as a per-tenant AL extension on your Business Central environment. There is no instant AppSource purchase — you get software fitted to how your engineering change process actually works, deployed and supported by us.

How long until it is live on our environment?

Typical delivery is about 3 to 5 weeks from the discovery session, depending on the complexity of your revision scheme, approval stages, and any Dataverse/Power Platform integration. We install and validate in a sandbox first, run through your real change scenarios, then promote to production on a scheduled date. We confirm a firm timeline after the discovery call.

What happens with support and Business Central updates after go-live?

The extension is built on supported AL objects and event subscribers, so it carries forward through Microsoft's major and minor Business Central updates. ECOSIRE provides a post-go-live support window for defects and questions, and offers ongoing support and enhancement plans. When Microsoft ships a major release wave, we test and recompile against the new runtime so you stay current.

Does it work with cloud (SaaS) and on-premises Business Central?

Yes. It is delivered as a standard per-tenant extension and works on Business Central online (SaaS) and supported on-premises deployments. The same AL codebase targets both; the only differences are install mechanics and which integration surfaces (Dataverse, Power Automate) your licensing enables.

Will it conflict with our existing customizations or other extensions?

We scope this during discovery. Because it uses table/page extensions and event subscribers rather than modifying base objects, it coexists with other well-behaved extensions. If you already run customizations on items, BOMs, or routings, we review them up front and design the integration points so the change-control logic layers on cleanly without clobbering existing behavior.