Glossary

PTC Windchill and PLM terms, in plain English

The words that come up in every Windchill project, defined the way we explain them to engineering, manufacturing and IT in the same room. Each term links to a longer guide when you want the detail.

A

As-built vs as-maintained: As-built is the configuration a unit had when it left the factory. As-maintained is what it is now, after field repairs, upgrades and substitutions. The gap between the two is where service mistakes and warranty cost come from.
AS9100: AS9100 is the quality management standard for aerospace and defense organizations. It builds on ISO 9001 and adds requirements such as configuration management, product safety and control of counterfeit parts.

B

Bill of materials (BOM): A bill of materials (BOM) is the structured list of every part, sub-assembly and quantity that makes up a product. In PLM it's a live structure linked to parts, documents and changes, not a spreadsheet.

C

Change notice (ECN): A change notice (ECN, or ECO in many companies) is the approved instruction to carry out a change: it holds the tasks, the affected and resulting objects, and the release, so the new revisions go out together.
Change request (ECR): A change request (ECR) proposes a specific change to a product, with the reason, the affected parts and documents, and the impact, so a review board can approve or reject it before any work is done.
Configuration management (CM): Configuration management is knowing, and being able to prove, exactly which version of every part, document and software item makes up each product, and controlling how that changes over time.
Cost of poor quality (COPQ): Cost of poor quality (COPQ) is what a manufacturer spends because things weren't done right the first time: scrap, rework, engineering changes, warranty claims, investigations and the time spent fixing them.

D

Digital thread: The digital thread is the connected flow of product data across the lifecycle: requirements, design, manufacturing, quality and service linked, so a change or a question can be traced from one end to the other without re-keying data.
Digital twin: A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical product, unit or process, kept up to date with real data, used to simulate, predict and improve how the real thing behaves.

E

Effectivity: Effectivity says from when a part or BOM change applies: from a date, a serial number, a lot or a unit. It lets a change be released in engineering while production keeps building the current version until the cut-in point.
Engineering bill of materials (eBOM): An engineering bill of materials (eBOM) is the product structure as engineering designed it: assemblies and parts organized by function, usually driven by the CAD model. It's the starting point for the manufacturing BOM.
Engineering change management (ECM): Engineering change management (ECM) is the controlled process for proposing, reviewing, approving and releasing a change to a product's design and data, so every affected team knows what changed, why, and from when.

I

ITAR: ITAR, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, controls who can access defense-related technical data. For PLM it means controlling where the system runs, who administers it, and which people can see which data.

M

Manufacturing bill of materials (mBOM): A manufacturing bill of materials (mBOM) is the product structure as the plant builds it: parts grouped by assembly step, with raw materials, consumables and plant-specific choices that engineering doesn't design.
Manufacturing execution system (MES): A manufacturing execution system (MES) runs and records production on the shop floor: work orders, work instructions, data collection, sign-offs and traceability for each unit built.
Manufacturing process management (MPM): Manufacturing process management (MPM) is planning how a product gets built: the manufacturing BOM, operations, sequence, resources and work instructions, kept connected to the engineering design.

O

Options and variants: Options and variants is how Windchill manages configurable products: one overloaded (150%) BOM with rules, from which each customer's specific configuration is generated instead of maintaining a separate BOM for every variant.
Organizational change management (OCM): Organizational change management (OCM) is the people side of a system rollout: communication, training, sponsorship and reinforcement, so the people who have to work differently actually adopt the new way.

P

Part classification: Part classification organizes parts into a hierarchy of families with defined attributes (a fastener's thread, length and material, say), so engineers can search by what a part is and reuse it instead of creating a duplicate.
PLM–ERP integration: PLM–ERP integration connects the product definition in PLM (parts, BOMs, changes) with ERP's planning, purchasing and costing, so released engineering data reaches ERP automatically and correctly, without re-entry.
Problem report (PR): A problem report is the first step of engineering change in Windchill: anyone can record an issue with a part, document or product so it can be reviewed and, if needed, turned into a change request.
Process plan: A process plan is the ordered set of operations that turns parts into a finished assembly: what happens at each station, with which tools, resources and parts. In ERP it becomes the routing.
Product data management (PDM): Product data management (PDM) is the engineering part of PLM: storing CAD models and related documents under version control, with check-in, check-out, revisions and access rules, so designers always work on the right version.
Product lifecycle management (PLM): Product lifecycle management (PLM) is the software and the way of working that keeps one controlled record of a product, from the first design through manufacturing, service and retirement, so every team works from the same parts, BOMs, documents and changes.
PTC Windchill (Windchill): PTC Windchill is PTC's product lifecycle management system. It manages CAD data, parts and bills of materials, documents, engineering change, manufacturing process plans and configurations, and connects to ERP, MES and CAD tools like Creo.

W

Windchill MPMLink (MPMLink): Windchill MPMLink is the manufacturing process management module of PTC Windchill. Manufacturing engineers use it to turn the engineering BOM into a manufacturing BOM and build process plans, operations and work instructions linked to the design.
Windchill PDMLink (PDMLink): Windchill PDMLink is the core module of PTC Windchill. It manages CAD and product data, parts and engineering BOMs, documents, lifecycle states, and the engineering change process.
Windchill upgrade: A Windchill upgrade moves a production Windchill system to a newer release: database schema changes, vault and file moves, customization rework and testing, with rehearsals so the cutover weekend holds no surprises.
Windchill+: Windchill+ is PTC's software-as-a-service version of Windchill. PTC hosts, maintains and upgrades it, so the customer stops running servers and upgrade projects, and works with configuration rather than custom code.
Work instructions: Work instructions are the step-by-step directions an operator follows to build or inspect a product at a station, with visuals, parts, tools and checks. Done well, they're generated from the process plan, not written separately.

#

21 CFR Part 820: 21 CFR Part 820 is the US FDA regulation for medical device quality systems. Under the Quality Management System Regulation (QMSR), effective in 2026, it is aligned with ISO 13485; design controls, document and change control, and the records behind them still apply.

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