[IMP] PLM: Fix formating, add images, clarify

closes #12725

Signed-off-by: Zaz Linkous (stul) <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Zachary Straub <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Felicia Kuan <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Zachary Straub <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Sam Lieber (sali) <[email protected]>

Author: 4 people

Diff for: content/applications/inventory_and_mrp/plm/manage_changes/eco_type.rst

@@ -5,22 +5,32 @@
 .. |ECO| replace:: :abbr:`ECO (Engineering Change Order)`
 .. |ECOs| replace:: :abbr:`ECOs (Engineering Change Orders)`
 
-========
-ECO type
-========
+====================
+ECO types and stages
+====================
 
-An *ECO type* is assigned to *engineering change orders* (ECOs) to organize and track changes to
-products and bills of materials (BoMs). Each |ECO| type separates |ECOs| into a project in Gantt
-view, ensuring collaborators and stakeholders **only** view and assist with relevant |BOM|
-improvements.
+Engineering change orders (ECOs) are categorized by the type of change they represent and their
+statuses are tracked via stages. Both |ECO| types and stages are defined by the user and can be
+customized to the specific needs of a business or industry.
 
-For example, an electronic chip manufacturer might use 'New Product Introduction', 'Product
-Improvement', 'Component Change', and 'Firmware Update' |ECO| types. Then, designers and engineers
-can focus on |ECOs| in the 'New Product Introduction' and 'Product Improvement' projects, avoiding
-unrelated supplier change or firmware update |ECOs|.
+ECO types
+=========
 
-Create ECO type
-===============
+Each |ECO| type separates |ECOs| into different projects in the :guilabel:`PLM Overview`, ensuring
+collaborators and stakeholders only view and assist with relevant |BOM| improvements.
+
+.. example::
+   An electronic chip manufacturer uses five |ECO| types: `New Product Introduction`, `BOM Updates`,
+   `Component Change`, `Product Improvement`, and `Firmware Update`. In their configuration,
+   engineers can spend time exclusively on |ECOs| in the `Component Change` and `Firmware Update`
+   types, while designers see |ECOs| in the `New Product Introduction` type, allowing each
+   discipline to focus only on those changes that require their domain expertise.
+
+   .. image:: eco_type/eco-type-example.png
+      :alt: Example of several custom ECO types.
+
+Create an ECO type
+------------------
 
 To access and manage ECO types, navigate to :menuselection:`PLM app --> Configuration --> ECO
 Types`.
@@ -39,105 +49,86 @@ the following information:
    change` project sent to the email address, `[email protected]`.
 
    .. image:: eco_type/create-eco-type.png
-      :align: center
       :alt: Example of an ECO type.
 
-Edit ECO type
-=============
+Edit ECO types
+--------------
 
 Modify existing |ECO| type names and email aliases by navigating to the :menuselection:`PLM app -->
 Configuration --> ECO Types` page. There, click on the desired |ECO| type from the list.
 
-On the form for each |ECO| type, proceed to edit the :guilabel:`Name` and :guilabel:`Email Alias`
-fields.
+On the form for each |ECO| type, edit the :guilabel:`Name` or :guilabel:`Email Alias` fields.
 
 .. _plm/eco/stage-config:
 
 Stages
 ======
 
-Within an |ECO| type project, *stages* are like milestones and are used to identify the progress of
-the |ECO| before the changes are ready to be applied. (e.g. 'Feedback', 'In Progress', 'Approved',
-'Complete')
-
-Additionally, required approvers can be added to each stage, ensuring that changes to the production
-|BOM| cannot proceed until the approver reviews and approves the |ECO|. Doing so prevents errors on
-the production |BOM| by enforcing at least one review of suggested changes before they're applied on
-a production |BOM|.
+Within the :guilabel:`Engineering Change Orders` Kanban view for a specific |ECO| type, *stages* are
+milestones used to identify the progress of the |ECO| before the changes are ready to be applied. By
+default, Odoo uses `New`, `In Progress`, `Validated`, and `Effective`, but these are fully
+customizable to the specific life cycle of an |ECO| type.
 
-For best practice, there should be at least one *verification* stage, which is a stage with a
-required approver, and one *closing* stage, which stores |ECOs| that have been either cancelled or
-approved for use as the next production |BOM|.
+.. image:: eco_type/eco-stage-defaults.png
+   :alt: Default stages for an ECO type.
 
-Create stage
-------------
+.. note::
+   The `Effective` stage is folded by default to avoid listing every single |ECO| that has gone into
+   effect. See :ref:`Closing stage <plm/eco/closing-stage>` for more on this configuration.
 
-To add a stage, go to the :menuselection:`PLM` app and select the intended project for an |ECO| type
-from the :guilabel:`PLM Overview` dashboard.
+:ref:`Verification stages <plm/eco/verification-stage>` require a designated user to approve,
+ensuring that changes do not proceed until the |ECO| changes have been reviewed by the appropriate
+stake holders. :ref:`Closing stages<plm/eco/closing-stage>` that can apply changes put |BOM| and
+operations changes into immediate effect, changing all pending and future :abbr:`MO (Manufacturing
+orders)` to the latest |BOM| version.
 
-Then, on the :guilabel:`Engineering Change Orders` project pipeline for the |ECO| type, click the
-:guilabel:`+ Stage` button. Doing so reveals a text box to fill in the name of the stage. After
-filling it in, click the :guilabel:`Add` button to finish adding the stage.
+.. tip::
+   The most common practice is to have at least one *verification* stage, which is a stage with a
+   required approver, and one *closing* stage, which stores |ECOs| that have been either cancelled
+   or approved for use as the next production |BOM|.
 
-.. example::
-   A new `Assigned` stage separates assigned |ECOs| from the unassigned ones in the `New` stage.
-   Adding another stage helps the product manager track unassigned tasks.
+.. seealso::
+   :doc:`Approvals<../management/approvals>`
 
-   .. image:: eco_type/create-stage.png
-      :align: center
-      :alt: Create a new stage in a project for an ECO type.
+.. _plm/eco/verification-stage:
 
-Verification stage
-------------------
+Verification stages
+-------------------
 
-Click an ECO type from :menuselection:`PLM app --> Overview` to open a kanban view of |ECOs| of this
-type.
-
-To configure a verification stage, hover over the intended stage, and select the :guilabel:`⚙️
-(gear)` icon. Then, click :guilabel:`Edit` to open a pop-up window.
-
-Configure the verification stage in the edit stage pop-up window, by checking the box for
+To configure a verification stage, hover over the intended stage, and select the :icon:`fa-gear`
+:guilabel:`(Actions)`. Then, click :guilabel:`Edit` to open a pop-up window and check the box for
 :guilabel:`Allow to apply changes`.
 
-Then, add an approver in the :guilabel:`Approvers` section, by clicking :guilabel:`Add a line`, and
-specifying the :guilabel:`Role` of the reviewer, their :guilabel:`User`, and :guilabel:`Approval
-Type`.
-
-Make sure at least one approver is configured with the :guilabel:`Approval Type`: :guilabel:`Is
-required to approve`.
+Next, add an approver in the :guilabel:`Approvers` section, by clicking :guilabel:`Add a line`, and
+specifying the :guilabel:`Role` of the reviewer, the :guilabel:`User`, and an :guilabel:`Approval
+Type` of :guilabel:`Is required to approve`. See :ref:`more about approval types.
+<plm/approvals/approval-type>`
 
 The approver listed is automatically notified when |ECOs| are dropped in the stage specified in the
 pop-up window. Once finished, click :guilabel:`Save & Close`.
 
-.. example::
-   In the |ECO| type `New Product Introduction`, the verification stage `Validated` is configured by
-   clicking the :guilabel:`⚙️ (gear)` icon, and selecting :guilabel:`Edit`. Doing so opens the
-   :guilabel:`Edit: Validated` pop-up window.
+.. seealso::
+   :doc:`../management/approvals`
 
-   By adding the `Engineering manager` as an approver, only |ECOs| approved by this user can proceed
-   to the next stage, and have the changes applied on the production |BOM|.
+.. _plm/eco/closing-stage:
 
-   Additionally, check the :guilabel:`Allow to apply changes` option to ensure proper behavior.
+Closing stages
+--------------
 
-   .. image:: eco_type/verification-stage.png
-      :align: center
-      :alt: Show "Allow to apply changes" option is checked.
+Click an |ECO| type from :menuselection:`PLM app --> Overview` to open the Kanban view of |ECOs| of
+this type.
 
-Closing stage
--------------
-
-Configure a closing stage by opening the :guilabel:`Edit: [stage]` pop-up window. To do so, hover
-over the intended stage and click the :guilabel:`⚙️ (gear)` icon that appears in the top-right
-corner. Then, click :guilabel:`Edit` from the drop-down menu.
-
-On the :guilabel:`Edit: [stage]` pop-up window, select the check boxes for :guilabel:`Folded in
-kanban view`, :guilabel:`Allow to apply changes` and :guilabel:`Final Stage`.
+To configure a closing stage that applies |BOM|, edit the stage and tick the boxes for
+:guilabel:`Folded in kanban view`, :guilabel:`Allow to apply changes`, and :guilabel:`Final Stage`.
+When ECO cards are placed in a stage that will *Allow to apply changes*, then any |BOM| and
+operations changes validated in the |ECOs| will immediately be put into effect. To create a
+cancelled stage, create or edit a stage and tick the boxes for :guilabel:`Folded in kanban view` and
+:guilabel:`Final Stage`. |ECOs| in this stage are removed from the pipeline, but will not make
+changes.
 
 .. example::
    The closing stage, `Effective` is configured by checking the :guilabel:`Folded in kanban view`,
    :guilabel:`Allow to apply changes`, and :guilabel:`Final Stage` options
 
-.. image:: eco_type/closing-stage.png
-   :align: center
-   :alt: Show configurations of the closing stage.
-
+   .. image:: eco_type/closing-stage.png
+      :alt: Configuration of the closing stage.