Engineering Change Request (ECR) Form Template
An engineering change request is the formal ask to change a released design. It records why the change is needed, what is proposed and who must look at it before any drawing or BOM is touched. This template gives you a clean one-page form you can fill in and export.
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Engineering Change Request (ECR) Form Template
Engineering Change Request
Company: Northfield Precision Components ECR number: ECR-2026-0142 Date raised: 2026-10-19 Requested by: A. Mehta, Design Engineering Priority: Routine
Item Under Change
Product / assembly: Hydraulic manifold HM-300 Part and revision: HM-300-100 Rev C Change type: Material
Reason for Change
Supplier has announced end of production for the current aluminium bar grade. A functionally equivalent grade is available from two approved mills.
Proposed Change
Replace 6061-T6 bar stock with 6082-T6 on the manifold body. Update drawing note 4 and the material callout. No change to machined dimensions.
Risk if Not Implemented
Line stoppage once the current stock of approx. 6 weeks is consumed.
Impact Screening
| Area | Affected (Y/N) | Owner | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form, fit, function | Design | ||
| BOM and routing | Engineering | ||
| Inventory and WIP | Planning | ||
| Suppliers and purchase orders | Purchasing | ||
| Tooling, fixtures, programs | Manufacturing | ||
| Inspection plan and gauges | Quality | ||
| Customer notification or approval | Quality | ||
| Regulatory or certification | Compliance |
Review Decision
| Decision | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Approve / Reject / Defer / Need more data |
Approvals
Starting point for your own change control procedure. Adapt the impact screening rows to your products and customer flow-down requirements. An approved ECR normally leads to an ECO or ECN that carries the detailed implementation.
Pre-fill ECR impact screening from your ERP
Optional: we can review how your change process connects to BOM, inventory and purchasing data and suggest what to automate.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the ECR template
Fill in the identification block first: ECR number, requester, product and the part number with its current revision. Then write the reason for change in one or two plain sentences and state the proposed change as precisely as you can. Use the impact screening table to mark every function that must comment, and print or export the document for the change control board. Keep one ECR per problem. If a single issue touches ten part numbers, list them in the proposal and keep one ECR, but if two unrelated issues are bundled, split them so each can be approved or rejected on its own merits.
- Give the exact part number and revision, not just the product name
- State the reason in terms of cost, quality, supply, safety or regulation
- Mark every impact row, even when the answer is no
- Attach drawings, supplier notices or test data as references
ECR, ECO and ECN: how they relate
Naming varies by company, but the common pattern is that the ECR is the request and justification, the ECO (engineering change order) is the approved instruction to implement it, and the ECN (engineering change notice) is the notification sent to everyone affected. Some companies use ECN for the whole process, and some ERP systems add a change master or engineering change number that drives effectivity on BOMs and routings. Whatever your naming, the principle is the same: do not change released data until the request has been assessed and approved. Use this form for the request stage and the companion ECO template for the order.
Worked example
The default values show a material change driven by a supplier end of production notice. The reason is supply continuity, the type is material, and the proposal states that dimensions do not change. The impact screening would typically flag purchasing (new bar stock source), quality (first article and material certificates), and planning (existing stock of the old grade and open purchase orders). Because there is a six week stock cover, priority is routine rather than urgent. The point of the exercise is that each function sees the same facts and can answer from its own area before approval, rather than discovering the change when parts arrive.
Common mistakes
The most frequent failure is a vague request such as 'improve design' with no part number, no revision and no reason. The second is skipping the impact screening because the change looks small: a one line drawing note can still invalidate an inspection plan or a customer approval. The third is approving the ECR but never closing it, so nobody knows whether it was implemented. Record the resulting ECO number on the ECR, and in your ERP link it to the change number so the audit trail is complete. Also remember that customer or regulatory approval may be required before implementation, not after.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an ECR and an ECO?
An ECR asks for a change and justifies it. An ECO is the approved order that tells departments exactly what to change and when. Many companies use one document for both, but separating the request from the order keeps unapproved ideas out of released data.
Who should approve an engineering change request?
Typically a change control board with engineering, quality, manufacturing, purchasing and planning. Customer or regulatory sign-off may also be required, depending on contracts and certifications. Keep the board small enough to meet weekly.
Does every change need an ECR?
Any change to released form, fit, function, material, process or documentation should be controlled. Many companies allow a lighter path for documentation-only corrections, but the criteria should be written down and consistently applied.
Can I use this form for software or firmware changes?
Yes. Replace the product and part fields with the software item and version, and adjust the impact rows to cover test, release and field update. The structure of reason, proposal, impact and approval stays the same.
If your ECRs live in email and spreadsheets, Netray can help connect change requests to ERP item, BOM and inventory data so impact screening is pre-filled. This form works fine without us.
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