Method and system for product configuration definition and tracking

A system for the definition and tracking of complex product configuration designs in a computer-based information processing system, said system comprising:

• a plurality of communicating nodes, at least one of said communicating nodes capable of communicating engineering change requests reflecting changes to previously stored plurality of product configurations and at least one of said nodes capable of receiving information on at least one of said product configurations;
• storage means for storing a plurality of files including an engineering change notices file, a master item, file, an engineering change affected item file, an engineering bill of material, and a product configuration table;
• means for receiving from a first communication node information on a product configuration and
• means for constructing a base product view, said base product view including a plurality of standard component features and a plurality of optional component features, each of said base product views defining one of a plurality of product configurations, and storing said base product view in said bill of material on said non-volatile data storage device;
• means for assigning a first product configuration identifier to said base product view and tagging each of said plurality of standard and optional component features stored in said bill of material with said first product configuration identifier;
• means for receiving from one of said communication nodes an engineering change request, said engineering change request associated with a specific customer product configuration,
• means of generating an engineering change notice associated with said engineering change request, that modifies said base product view, and assigning a second product configuration identifier to said specific customer product configuration;
• means of constructing a customer product view wherein new components are added and replaced components are removed from said base product view in accordance with said engineering change notice and tagging said new and replaced components with said second product configuration identifier;
• means for tracking said customer product view by means of said second product configuration identifier and said first product configuration identifier;
• means for generating a tailored bill of material based on said tracked customer product view;
• and
• means for transmitting to one of said plurality of communicating node said tailored bill of materials.