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Odoo Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) Module | End of Life | Tutorial
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Odoo Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) Module | End of Life | Tutorial
Odoo PLM: Product Lifecycle Management, Engineering Change Orders and BoM Revisions
Odoo PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) helps manufacturing businesses manage engineering changes, product documentation and revisions to Bills of Materials (BoMs). It provides a structured way for engineering, production and quality teams to review proposed changes before applying them to manufacturing operations.
With Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), teams can revise BoM components, update manufacturing operations, compare proposed changes, manage approvals and maintain a history of product revisions. This helps businesses control changes while reducing the risk of unapproved modifications affecting active production.
In this guide, we explain the main features of Odoo PLM, the product lifecycle stages, how to configure engineering change workflows and how to manage BoM revisions using the current Odoo PLM approach.
What this guide covers: Odoo PLM features, Engineering Change Orders, BoM version control, revision approvals, manufacturing operation changes, implementation steps and practical applications for manufacturers.
What Is Odoo PLM?
Odoo PLM is a Product Lifecycle Management application designed to support engineering change management in manufacturing environments. It connects product and manufacturing data with a controlled process for reviewing and applying changes.
A key part of Odoo PLM is the Engineering Change Order. An ECO records the reason for a proposed change, identifies the affected product or Bill of Materials, assigns responsibility and guides the revision through the configured stages.
Depending on the Odoo version and configuration, an ECO can be used to manage BoM changes, product-related changes and manufacturing operation revisions. Supporting documents and discussions can be associated with the change record to help teams coordinate their work.
Engineering Change Orders
Create and track proposed product or manufacturing changes through defined stages, with responsibility and approval requirements.
BoM Revision Management
Prepare revised Bills of Materials, update components and compare proposed changes before applying an approved revision to production.
Manufacturing Operation Changes
Where supported and configured, revise operations, work instructions and related production details associated with a BoM.
Change Approvals and Traceability
Use ECO stages and approval rules to manage changes and maintain a record of revisions and decisions.
Why Product Lifecycle Management Matters in Manufacturing
Manufacturing products often change during their lifecycle. Engineers may improve a component, replace a material, update an assembly instruction or introduce a new product variant. Without a structured change process, teams may work with outdated specifications or make changes without the required review.
Product Lifecycle Management helps organisations coordinate the information needed to design, manufacture, maintain and eventually retire products. In Odoo, PLM focuses particularly on engineering change workflows and their relationship with manufacturing data.
History and Stages of Product Lifecycle Management
Product Lifecycle Management developed from product design, engineering, computer-aided design (CAD) and product data management practices. It expanded as manufacturers needed better ways to coordinate design information, production processes and product changes across departments.
A common way to explain the broader product lifecycle is through three stages: Beginning of Life, Middle of Life and End of Life. These stages describe the product's overall lifecycle, rather than being specific Odoo PLM workflow stages.
Beginning of Life (BOL)
This stage covers product planning, concept development, design, prototyping, testing and preparation for manufacturing. Teams establish specifications, components, BoMs and the processes needed to build the product.
Middle of Life (MOL)
During this stage, the product is manufactured, distributed and used. Manufacturers may collect feedback, investigate defects, improve product designs and update manufacturing instructions where necessary.
End of Life (EOL)
This stage involves managing a product's retirement, discontinuation, recycling or disposal. Businesses may need to consider remaining inventory, replacement components, service obligations and regulatory requirements.
Key Features of the Odoo PLM Module
1. Engineering Change Orders (ECOs)
ECOs provide a structured record for proposed changes. Users can identify the product, select the relevant ECO type, describe the change, assign responsibility and define the applicable revision workflow.
2. Bill of Materials Version Control
When a change affects a BoM, Odoo can create a revision that can be edited and reviewed separately from the active production BoM. This helps prevent unfinished changes from affecting production before they are approved and applied.
3. BoM Change Comparison
Odoo provides a way to review differences between a production BoM and its proposed revision. Depending on the change, this can include added, removed or updated components.
4. Approval Stages
ECO types can use configured stages to organise work, including review and verification. Approval requirements depend on the workflow and permissions configured for the business.
5. Manufacturing Operation Changes
In supported versions, ECO workflows can include changes to BoM operations, work instructions and related manufacturing details. Work Orders settings may need to be enabled to access the Operations tab.
6. Documents and Design Files
Relevant files, such as drawings, PDFs, product specifications and other design documents, can be associated with the product or change process. This helps reviewers find supporting information.
7. Effective Dates
Where supported by the version and workflow, the effective date helps indicate when a revision should become active. This is useful when a change must align with a production schedule or planned transition.
8. Product and Production Traceability
Linked ECOs and BoM revision history help teams investigate past changes and identify the relevant product specifications for quality reviews, production issues or customer complaints.
How to Configure Odoo PLM
Before creating Engineering Change Orders, confirm that the PLM application is installed and that users have the required access rights. The exact menus and labels may vary by Odoo version.
Step 1: Install the PLM Application
Open the Odoo Apps interface and install the PLM application if it is not already available in your database. Confirm that the Manufacturing application and the required product and BoM records are configured.
For manufacturing operation revisions, review whether the relevant Work Orders functionality is enabled in Manufacturing settings.
Step 2: Review the PLM Overview
Open the PLM application and review the available ECO type cards and change records. The overview provides an entry point for accessing engineering changes and monitoring their workflow stages.
The available cards and labels depend on the configured ECO types and the Odoo version.
Step 3: Configure ECO Types and Stages
Set up ECO types to organise different categories of changes, such as BoM updates or product improvements. Define the stages required for each type, including any review, approval or closing stages.
Configure the relevant stage approval rules and access permissions to match your engineering change policy.
Step-by-Step Tutorial: Creating an Engineering Change Order in Odoo PLM
The following workflow explains how to create an ECO, prepare a revision, review the differences and apply the approved changes. The instructions focus on the BoM revision workflow documented in current Odoo versions.
Step 4: Create a New Engineering Change Order
Open the PLM application and select the ECO type that matches the proposed change. From the relevant Engineering Change Orders view, create a new record.
Provide a concise description of the proposed improvement, select the product, choose whether the change applies to a BoM or the product itself, and select the relevant BoM when applicable. Assign a responsible person if needed.
Where supported, configure the company, tags and effective date. The available fields depend on the selected change type and version.
Step 5: Start the Revision
After completing the required ECO information, select Start Revision when the button is available. For a BoM change, Odoo creates a separate revision based on the production BoM.
The revision can be used to prepare and review the proposed changes without immediately changing the BoM used for live production.
Step 6: Open and Edit the Revised Bill of Materials
Open the revision associated with the ECO. Review the existing components and update the BoM according to the approved engineering proposal.
You may need to change component quantities, add a new component, remove an obsolete component or update other relevant BoM details. Keep supporting technical documentation linked to the change where appropriate.
Step 7: Review the BoM Changes
Return to the ECO and open the BoM Changes tab when available. Review the differences between the current production BoM and the proposed revision.
Check that the new components, removed components and changed quantities match the engineering requirements. Resolve discrepancies before the ECO moves to approval.
Step 8: Submit the ECO for Review and Approval
Move the ECO through the configured workflow stages. Depending on the ECO type, this may involve engineering review, technical verification and approval by authorised users.
Reviewers should confirm the impact on product specifications, material requirements, manufacturing processes and supporting documents before accepting the change.
Step 9: Apply the Approved Changes
Once the revision has passed the required checks and the workflow permits it, use the Apply Changes action to make the approved revision effective.
Odoo applies the approved changes to the production BoM and retains the earlier version as part of the revision history. Follow the applicable version-specific workflow and verify the result before relying on it for production.
Step 10: Verify the Active BoM and Revision History
After applying the ECO, open the relevant product and its Bill of Materials. Confirm that the expected components or operations are present in the active production BoM.
Where version information is available, check the BoM version and associated ECO history. This helps engineering and production teams confirm which revision is active.
Odoo PLM for Manufacturing Operation Changes
Engineering changes can involve more than a product's component list. Manufacturers may also need to update assembly steps, work instructions, work centres or expected operation durations.
In supported Odoo versions, the PLM workflow can manage changes to BoM operations. The Operations tab may require the Work Orders option to be enabled in Manufacturing settings.
Once an operation revision has been prepared, the ECO can provide a way to review operation differences before applying the approved revision. This helps production teams identify changes to how a product is manufactured.
Example: A manufacturer changes the assembly sequence for a product. The engineering team can prepare the updated operation instructions, review the change and route it through the appropriate approval process before the revised instructions are used in production.
Odoo PLM Version Control: Why It Matters
Version control helps manufacturers distinguish between a proposed engineering revision and the BoM currently used in production. This separation is important when changes require testing, review or a planned effective date.
Odoo's version-control functionality is especially relevant for manufacturers that need to investigate product issues, manage engineering improvements or determine which BoM revision was effective at a particular time.
Benefits of Odoo PLM for Manufacturing Businesses
Better Engineering Coordination
Centralised ECO records give relevant users a shared place to review change descriptions, supporting documents and workflow status.
Controlled BoM Changes
Separate revisions and approval stages help prevent unreviewed engineering changes from being applied prematurely to production.
Improved Documentation
Supporting files and change records help teams maintain useful information around product specifications and engineering decisions.
Greater Revision Traceability
Linked ECOs and BoM versions support investigations into earlier revisions, product issues and manufacturing changes.
More Consistent Production Instructions
Where operation changes are configured, teams can review updated manufacturing instructions before the changes become active.
Structured Change Approvals
Configured ECO stages and approval rules help businesses align engineering changes with internal review responsibilities.
Odoo PLM Use Cases Across Manufacturing Industries
Furniture Manufacturing
Furniture products can have many sizes, colours, fabrics, finishes and component combinations. PLM can help teams manage engineering changes to BoMs and coordinate revised product specifications.
Globalteckz has experience implementing Odoo for furniture manufacturing, including complex product variants and customised manufacturing workflows.
Metal Fabrication
Metal fabrication businesses may need to update material specifications, component designs, assembly details or production instructions. A controlled change workflow helps engineering and production teams review these updates.
Globalteckz has experience with Odoo implementations for metal fabrication manufacturing, including tin-box production processes.
Apparel and Garment Manufacturing
Apparel manufacturers manage products with different sizes, colours, styles and material requirements. Odoo manufacturing and PLM workflows can help coordinate relevant BoM and product revisions when configured for the business.
Globalteckz has experience with Odoo implementations for jeans, T-shirt and fashion manufacturing businesses.
Assembly and Component Manufacturing
Manufacturers assembling products from multiple components can use ECO workflows to revise component lists, review changes and maintain a history of approved BoM versions.
Best Practices for Odoo PLM Implementation
To get the most value from Odoo PLM, align the system with the organisation's engineering change process instead of simply installing the application and using default stages.
Frequently Asked Questions About Odoo PLM
What is Odoo PLM used for?
Odoo PLM is used to manage engineering changes, BoM revisions and related manufacturing documentation. It helps teams prepare, review and apply changes through configured Engineering Change Order workflows.
What is an Engineering Change Order in Odoo?
An Engineering Change Order, or ECO, is a record used to organise a proposed product or manufacturing change. It can identify the affected product or BoM, assign responsibility and guide the change through the configured stages.
Can Odoo PLM manage Bill of Materials revisions?
Yes. Odoo PLM supports BoM revision workflows in which a revised BoM can be prepared and reviewed separately from the production version before the approved changes are applied.
Can Odoo PLM track manufacturing operation changes?
Supported Odoo versions can manage changes to BoM operations and related work instructions through ECO workflows. Availability and interface details depend on the version and Manufacturing settings.
Do Odoo PLM changes affect production immediately?
Preparing a revision does not, by itself, make the proposed BoM the active production version. The revision must pass through the configured workflow and be applied before the approved changes become effective.
Can Odoo PLM maintain historical BoM versions?
Yes. ECO records and BoM revision history help users review previous revisions and understand changes made to product specifications. This is useful for traceability and investigations.
Is Odoo PLM suitable for small and medium-sized manufacturers?
It can be suitable for manufacturers of different sizes, particularly those that need structured engineering changes and BoM revision control. The appropriate configuration depends on product complexity, approval requirements and manufacturing processes.
Can Odoo PLM be customised?
Odoo can be configured and extended to meet additional workflow, reporting or integration requirements. Custom development should be planned carefully to maintain compatibility with future Odoo upgrades.
Conclusion: Improve Engineering Change Management with Odoo PLM
Odoo PLM helps manufacturing businesses organise engineering changes, maintain BoM revisions and coordinate product-related updates through Engineering Change Orders. Its revision workflow separates proposed changes from the active production BoM, allowing teams to review and approve updates before applying them.
From component revisions and manufacturing operation updates to approval workflows and revision history, Odoo PLM provides a structured foundation for managing product changes. Successful implementation depends on accurate BoM data, clear approval responsibilities and a workflow that matches the organisation's engineering and manufacturing requirements.
For manufacturers managing complex product variants, frequent design updates or multiple production processes, a properly configured PLM workflow can improve change visibility and help maintain consistent engineering information across departments.
Looking for Odoo PLM Implementation or Manufacturing Customisation?
Globalteckz works with manufacturing businesses to implement and customise Odoo ERP workflows according to their operational requirements.
Contact our team at sales@globalteckz.com to discuss your Odoo PLM and manufacturing requirements.
About Globalteckz
Globalteckz provides Odoo ERP implementation, customisation and development services for businesses across different industries. Our experience includes manufacturing workflows for furniture, metal fabrication, apparel and other small and medium-sized businesses.
We help organisations assess their operational requirements, configure Odoo modules and develop tailored solutions for complex processes. Our goal is to help businesses align their ERP system with their manufacturing, inventory and engineering workflows.
For further information, contact sales@globalteckz.com.
Related Odoo ERP Articles
Odoo PLM – Product Life Cycle Management is specially designed for the Engineering Department which is used to maintain BOM revisions, for Trunky Product Lifecycle based on Engineering Change Orders, and Product Life. In Odoo Manufacturing there are different versions of Product with variants and that can be accessed at any point in Time. Let’s discuss the PLM tutorial and documentation in detail to understand how it can be more useful for Manufacturing businesses.
The Data of Product Manufacturing can be Share with different departments to annalize, to facilitate accurately Planning for Product costing and Work Load to the respective department to maintain the Product efficiency in the Market. Odoo PLM demo and review is useful to manage engineering changes in Product with all department communication which are involved in Product Manufacturing, by enables easy approvals and real-time discussions on documents like product data, including items, bill of materials (BOMs), and product files.
PLM(Product Lifecycle Management) user helps the user can create an ECO(Engineering Change Orders) against BoM i.e. make BoM revisions can update or add a new routing in MO(Manufacturing Order), generate Alerts in the Work order of BoM as well as generate Alerts can configure at every define Stages in Manufacturing as per revised flow for respective Product. Odoo PLM tracks the strength of communication between enterprise social network and Business with more efficiently across multiple departments for empowerment.
The History of Product Life Cycle Management
First used in the aviation and automotive industries, Nowadays PLM branched out to other trades including packaged goods, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and fashion. PLM evolved out of technological advances in the area of computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), and product data management (PDM). These advances allowed manufacturer middle design and manufacturing, shortening production cycles, and lead-time. Because manufacturing is complex and has many steps, speeding up the process by making all of the information centralized allowed increased competition.
The Manufacturing companies trying to make minimizing the waste and for that, they prepare a guideline that needs to coordinate their resources and people in different places, the processes need to be cohesive. Such cohesiveness also keeps the process product-centric and gives it a better chance of success in the marketplace. The PLM module is helpful to achieve such a process. Following are the Stage to overcome the PLM featured below is a compilation of the best and most widespread methods used with the necessary steps annotated. To start, PLM has three stages :
Beginning of Life (BOL): The beginning of life phase initial with all design regarding manufacturing, which consists of the introduction, conceptualization, and development or any Prototype to built. Initial development has multiple stages with sub-tasks that identify all requirements, concepts, and respective testing. The company has to maintain the BOL stages that are product coming to life, along with its specifications, production process, and supply needs.
Middle of Life (MOL): the second phase is post-manufacturing when the product is distributed in the manufacturing and distribution divided by user and services. At this point, the product is in the hand of the end-user. if any failures while manufacturing we can maintain the Data, we can set the maintenance rates with priority bases and user experience to get information for immediate fixes and future development.
End of Life (EOL): The end of life phase is the recycling, retiring, or disposing of Manufacturing products. At this point, reverse logistics happen for the company. EOL starts when users no longer require the product. At this stage, companies collect information about what parts and materials are still valuable.
PLM
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) harnesses the power of an enterprise social network to help communicate more efficiently across multiple departments. Everyone follows only what they need, approvals are simple, and discussions on documents are centralized in real-time.
Engineering Change Orders (ECO) are the procedures carried for applying changes in the components, documents, or assemblies. Changes can be a change in the processes, work instructions, or changes in the specifications.
PLM feature in Odoo is as follows:
Step 1:Configuration of Odoo PLM Module
First of all, have to install the PLM (Product Life Cycle Management) Module in the Database.
In Odoo PLM is specially design for Engineering Departments, it is used to handle the Bill of Material(BoM) revisions and track product lifecycle based on Engineering Change Orders (ECO).
Step 2: Overview
Once the module is installed we can see the overview initially we can see the number of Count of ECO lifecycle or click to Overview in the menu bar on the PLM Module.
Step 3: Define ECO
Start New Revision for ECO with a Short summary with a responsible person and product for the Engineering Department. Here we can add many stages of the ECO type via adding columns. This is similar to the CRM, Project modules in Odoo. But in this case, one can add an approval option for each stage as per the configuration. This we will discuss in the later section.
In this stage, we can notice four stages in ECO(Engineering Change Orders) like New, In Progress, Approval, and Effective.
Step 4:ECO
Now you can go to the PLM dashboard and start the Engineering Change Order. You can fill the following required fields like
To create an ECO (Engineering Change Order), go to the PLM dashboard and click to Engineering Change button for ECO
>>We have to add a short summary of the change
>>apply on BoM or Routing OR both for a product that we may select as per the requirement.
>>Now you can choose the ECO type.
>> In Effectivity field is used to display the date on which the changes should be applied.
After filling all the required fields and save the changes. At that time click on the Start Revision Button.
Step 5: Manage BOM Versions
Upon this type of action, now we have a new revision for the Bill of Material, such as an Engineering Change Order(ECO) one can start working on a new BOM. Here we can Upload the CAD or other Document to the respective ECO
Step 6: Changing BOM
Now change the Bill of Material (BoM) and add an attachment whenever is needed. At that time you can add the two components and all the changes made are reproduced in Engineering Change orders(ECO).
Step 7: Reflection
After two components are added and updated the quantity of the existing component. All the changes made are reflected in ECO under BoM changes tab.
Step 8: Approving ECO
Now the ECO is moved from the In Progress stage to the Approval stage through drag and drop. At that time we can assign the administrator to approve the changes. The Kanban view of ECO can analyze and define the Stages by drag and Drop the ECO after Approval by the assigned Administrator. At the same time, we can move from the Approval stage to the Effective stage through drag and drop.
Step 9: Effective Stage
The effective stage is the final stage. Now we can easily drag the ECO to the Effective stage like the final stage and apply similar changes then apply changes.
Step 10: Final Steps
Here we can view all the Version of Bom which are Manage by Engineering department user.
Globalteckz Experience with Odoo Manufacturing Implementations – Short Summary
Furniture has a wide variety of dimensions, colors, finishes, fabrics, and product options. These are placing increased demands on the information systems to provide the functionality and flexibility required in the business. Odoo ERP for Furniture Industry is helpful in keeping track of all kinds of furniture inventory like manufacturing of office furniture, case goods, seating, commercial, upholstered, and specialty furniture, irrespective of their raw material. We have a range of experience in Implementing Odoo ERP software for Furniture manufacturing handling 1000+ variants of one particular product, more than 100 + Bill of materials management, and extreme level customizations for furniture Industries
As a manufacturer of fabricated metal products you know that success depends on tightly managing your complex supply chain – collaborating with customers to design the most effective products, while meeting quality, tolerance, and material specifications. You also need to provide a full range of services from design to delivery and maintain flexibility to change capacity requirements while operating effective continuous replenishment systems. Our team has experience in implementing Odoo ERP software for Metal fabricating manufacturers – Specifically (Tin Boxes) Ireland.
Odoo ERP for the apparel industry or Garment industry is an ideal Enterprise resource planning tool. Working without an ERP solution would be a great challenge for businesses operating in the apparel industry. Our Team has multiple experiences in implementing Odoo ERP software for Jeans Manufacturers, Fashion Designers, T-shirt Manufacturers with extreme level customizations.
Apart from the above Odoo Implementation for Manufacturing industries, there are other SME’s and SMB’s where our team has done end to end implementation with complex processes.For any information feel free to contact us at sales@globalteckz.com