Configuration and change management are fundamental to product development. The process of turning market requirements, customer requests, and innovative ideas, into marketable products can not be accomplished without capturing product configuration information and managing product change. Configuration and change management is the process that captures the evolution of a product across its entire life cycle, from concept to retirement.

A successful Windchill implementation is built on a basic understanding of how its configuration and change management tools are designed to work together to capture and manage your product data.

It is also important to note that although the standard tools for configuration and change management provide a complete product data management system, your company has unique business process requirements that must be fulfilled through configuration and customization. Links to additional information about configuring Windchill are provided throughout this section. You can also consult the following sections in the Windchill Help Center table of contents: