A Case Study of Configuration Management Methods in a Major Automotive OEM

Abstract

To compete in the global market, many manufacturers are moving towards mass customization of products. This allows the manufacturer to take advantage of the high volumes found in mass production while still manufacturing products that fit the needs of individual customers. In order to effectively implement mass customization principles in production, the manufacturers must rely on some form of configuration management to keep track of the large amount of domain knowledge that is involved. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of existing configuration management practices and why they are necessary in today’s economy. This includes a case study of the configuration management and configuration change practices of a major automotive OEM. Based on the results of the case study, the authors present a series of recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the OEM’s change management practices.