Performance metrics in engineering change management - Key Performance Indicators and engineering change performance levels

Abstract

A key aspect of engineering change management is the efficient handling of engineering changes within the product development process. Thus, performance measurement criteria, i.e. performance metrics or Key Performance Indicators, are often used in a variety of domains to either reveal performance deficit or improve a certain process. However, in the field of engineering change management the literature lacks a broad understanding of Key Performance Indicators as well as its applications. This lack of performance metrics can be remedied by transferring available knowledge of KPIs from other research fields. This paper therefore presents an initial perspective on the research activities on performance metrics in various research domains. Furthermore, constraints in engineering change management are identified for the application of KPIs to improve the overall handling of engineering changes. As a result, a performance level model is described for the application of performance metrics in engineering change management.