What is an Engineering Change Notice (ECN)?

Engineering Change Notice

An engineering change notice (ECN) is an official notice that a change has been approved. Many companies use a formal ECN to help ensure their contract manufacturers and other manufacturing partners are building products correctly.

What is a Engineering Change Notice

FAQs

Why do engineers modify their design?

Engineers modify their designs to drive continuous improvement and innovation. In some cases, designs are modified to fix a reported product defect or malfunction. In other instances, designs are modified to add enhancements that help differentiate products from the competition.

What is the purpose of an ECN?

An Engineering Change Notice (ECN) is a document that authorizes and records design modifications made to a product during its prototype and lifecycle stages. After the basic design is complete, ECN documentation offers the reasoning for changes made to a component or system.

*Source: Best Practices: Engineering Change Notice

What is the difference between ECN and ECO?

An Engineering Change Order (ECO) is a documentation packet that outlines the proposed change, lists the product or part(s) that would be affected, and requests review and approval from the affected individuals charged with implementing the change. An Engineering Change Notice (ECN) is a document authorizing and recording design changes throughout the prototyping and lifecycle phases of a product. ECN documentation contains the justification for changes made to a component or system once the initial design is complete.
*Source: https://cadtalk.com/2019/11/08/eco-vs-ecn/

Best
Practice

Companies typically use various change forms throughout the change process. This article describes the importance of the engineering change notice (ECN) and how using an electronic system to communicate changes helps keep changes on track.