If you’re in manufacturing, you’ve likely lived through the chaos a single change order can cause. One engineering tweak, one supplier adjustment, one tweak to compliance, and suddenly your production schedule is upside down, materials are misaligned, and half your team is scrambling to fix what wasn’t broken yesterday.
You’re not alone. Change orders are a necessary part of modern manufacturing, but they come with a real cost: wasted time, rework, confused communication, delayed shipments, and lost revenue. The problem isn’t the changes themselves. It’s the manual processes and disconnected systems that make managing those changes a nightmare.
So how do you take control of change orders without adding another layer of complexity? The answer lies in combining workflow automation with the right ERP system. And for manufacturers looking for real results, Infor SyteLine (CloudSuite Industrial) stands out as a powerful solution.
Let’s break down how change order management software and workflow tools can help, and how ERP systems take it even further.
Why Change Orders Get Out of Hand
Change orders are part of doing business in manufacturing. Whether it’s an engineering change order (ECO), a supplier update, or a customer-requested tweak, the key is not avoiding change; it’s managing it smarter.
Here’s where things often go sideways:
- Paper-based or email-based approvals slow everything down
- Engineering, purchasing, and production aren’t on the same page
- There’s no single source of truth for the current version of a product
- Key steps get skipped because there’s no structured process
- Manual entry causes errors that ripple through the supply chain
If this sounds familiar, you’re already paying the price in missed deadlines, scrap, and unhappy customers.
What Change Order Management Software Brings to the Table
Specialized change order management tools exist to tackle these problems head-on. At their core, they help create standardized, repeatable processes that everyone can follow, and they automate as much of the legwork as possible.
Some of the biggest benefits include:
- Clear workflows that define who needs to review, approve, and act on each change
- Centralized documentation so there’s one version of the truth—no more digging through emails
- Real-time visibility into status and bottlenecks
- Audit trails for regulatory compliance or internal QA
- Notifications and alerts that keep things moving instead of sitting on someone’s desk
Workflow automation tools like Praxie, DELMIAWorks, and Clearstory have helped many companies digitize and streamline change orders. These systems are great at handling specific pieces of the puzzle.
But here’s the catch: most of them still live outside your core ERP system. That means investing in third-party integration and maintenance.
Why Manufacturers Turn to ERP Systems for Change Management
That’s where the real transformation happens when change order workflows aren’t just automated but integrated into your ERP. In other words, when engineering changes automatically update purchasing, BOMs, production schedules, and financials without someone retyping data into five different places.
Infor SyteLine (CloudSuite Industrial) does exactly that. It’s built specifically for manufacturers, and change order control is baked into the way it works, not bolted on as an afterthought.
Let’s take a closer look at what SyteLine brings to the table.
How Infor SyteLine Simplifies Change Orders
Automated Change Order Processing
SyteLine eliminates the clunky, manual steps that slow change orders down. Once a change is triggered, say, an engineering update, the system automatically generates the right documentation and routes it through your pre-defined workflow. Each step is logged, each person is notified, and nothing slips through the cracks.
Need to add an approver for a regulated part? Easy. Want to track how long changes are sitting with each team? Done.
Real-Time Integration Across Departments
Most problems happen when information gets stuck in silos. A change to a part spec doesn’t make it to procurement, and now the wrong materials are ordered. Or production keeps building from an outdated drawing.
SyteLine ties everything together:
- Engineering changes ripple through BOMs
- Purchase orders update with revised materials
- Production schedules shift based on lead times
- Costing adjusts in real time
No rekeying. No confusion and no disconnect.
Vendor Site PO-CO Automation
If you’re operating across multiple sites or suppliers, coordinating changes can be brutal. SyteLine simplifies this with vendor site purchase order-change order (PO-CO) automation. When one site initiates a change, SyteLine automatically creates linked customer and purchase orders across sites. That keeps everything in sync. No more manual data entry or duplicated effort.
Configurable Workflows
Every manufacturer does things a little differently. SyteLine lets you build custom workflows that fit your process, not the other way around. You decide who approves what, what conditions trigger escalations, and how notifications are handled. It’s compliance without compromise.
Dashboards, Reporting, and Visibility
You can’t manage what you can’t see. SyteLine gives managers real-time dashboards and reports that show where change orders stand, what’s delayed, and where bottlenecks are forming. This kind of visibility is a game-changer for keeping projects on track and avoiding last-minute surprises.
Integrated Document Management
All the supporting documents, including CAD drawings, revised specs, QA approvals, change logs, are stored and tracked right inside SyteLine.
That means no more hunting through shared drives or email attachments to find the right file. And with version control, you know you’re always looking at the most current information.
Built-In Communication Tools
SyteLine keeps everyone in the loop. Team members get alerts when a task needs their attention, and status updates are visible to all stakeholders. You can even set up automatic reminders to keep things moving without chasing people down manually.
What This Looks Like in the Real World
Imagine this: A customer requests a design tweak mid-project.
Engineering enters the change into SyteLine, which automatically routes it for internal review.
The system flags that the new part requires a different material, and procurement gets an updated PO.
Production gets a revised build plan, and finance sees the updated cost. Everyone is working from the same data. No phone calls, no spreadsheets, no finger-pointing.
That’s what change management looks like when it’s built into your ERP.
Why Manufacturers Choose SyteLine with Godlan
Infor SyteLine is powerful, but how you implement it makes all the difference. That’s where we come in.
Godlan has been helping manufacturers optimize operations with Infor SyteLine for over 40 years. We don’t just install software; we help you rethink how your change management process works, from the ground up. Our consultants have deep manufacturing experience, and we’ve walked this road with companies just like yours.
With Godlan, you get:
- Expert ERP implementation tailored to your operations
- Proven strategies for improving change management
- Long-term partnership focused on measurable outcomes
Let’s Simplify the Chaos
Change orders aren’t going away. But the stress, delays, and cost overruns that come with them? Those can be eliminated.
If you’re tired of wrestling with spreadsheets, chasing approvals, or dealing with the fallout of missed changes, it’s time to take a new approach. Workflow automation is a great start. But integrating that automation into your ERP, specifically with a system like Infor SyteLine, gives you the power to transform how change is handled across your entire organization.
Let’s talk about how we can make that happen for you.
Godlan has over 40 years of experience in ERP consulting. Schedule a consultation today and discover how we can help you simplify change orders and gain back control.
