Glossary
The words we use, defined — so meetings stop drifting.
A Binary Decision Diagram (BDD) represents all valid configurations of a product family as a compact graph — used in variant management for analysis and dead feature detection.
Boolean algebra provides the logical operators (AND, OR, NOT) used to define valid product configurations and constraints in variant management and CPQ.
Branching creates parallel product variants as independent development paths, without a shared 150% BOM master structure. Learn its benefits and trade-offs.
In variant configuration, a characteristic is a named property with a defined set of values — the core building block used to model variation points in configurator systems.
In variant management, complexity reflects the effort needed to master customer variety, product variants, and their lifecycle processes. Learn its key dimensions.
Configuration has three distinct meanings in PLM: variant configuration, configuration management, and parameterization — each describing a different kind of joining.
Configuration management is the systematic process of tracking and controlling changes to a product or system across its lifecycle in PLM and engineering.
In Configure To Order (CTO), a product is assembled from predefined options upon customer order — no custom engineering, fast delivery, controlled variety.
A constraint is a rule that restricts valid option combinations in a variant configuration model, turning a theoretical variant space into a set of buildable configurations.
CPQ stands for Configure, Price, Quote — software that automates sales quoting for configurable products by enforcing product rules, calculating pricing, and generating output.
A CSP solver finds variable assignments that satisfy all defined constraints — used when product rules involve numeric, set, or ordering conditions beyond Boolean logic.
Design automation uses rules and algorithms to generate CAD, CAE, and CAM outputs for product variants automatically, reducing manual effort in engineering.
Domain engineering defines shared assets and variability for a product line — the upstream investment in PLE that makes systematic reuse possible in application engineering.
The paradox of choice: excessive options reduce customer satisfaction and raise decision difficulty — with direct consequences for product portfolio and configurator design.
Parametric configuration defines product variants through adjustable parameters like dimensions and geometry, rather than selecting from a fixed set of discrete options.
Postponement is a supply chain strategy that delays product differentiation to the latest possible point in the process, reducing inventory risk and variant complexity upstream.
In variant management, the problem space captures customer requirements — what must be solved, independently of the solution. Expressed in needs language, not engineering terms.
Procedural variant rules govern feature models and variant BOMs by executing IF-THEN logic in sequence. Unlike constraints, the result depends on which rules fire first.
Product architecture defines how a product is decomposed into functional and physical elements and how those elements interact — a key decision in variant management strategy.
PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) manages product data, processes, and decisions across the full lifecycle — from design through manufacturing, service, and end of life.
Product Line Engineering (PLE) develops related product families through systematic reuse of shared assets and variability management, governed by ISO/IEC 26550.
A product structure is the hierarchical decomposition of a product into components and subassemblies — the engineering foundation for BOM management and variant documentation.
Sales automation in variant management streamlines the sales process for configurable products — from guided configuration through pricing, quoting, and order handover.
A KMAT is SAP's configurable material — the LO-VC object representing a product family around which characteristics, variant BOMs, and configuration rules are organized.
SAP LO-VC (Logistics – Variant Configuration) is SAP's module for configuring complex products at order time, deriving variant BOMs from characteristics, classes, and variant rules.
A SAT solver determines whether a Boolean formula is satisfiable — used in variant management to validate configurations and navigate large variant spaces.
The solution space is the engineering view of product variety — the design decisions, components, and configurations that implement the options defined in the problem space.
Subtractive configuration starts from a 150% BOM containing all possible options and removes components not needed for a specific variant. Common in automotive and ERP.
SysML is a graphical systems modeling language used in variant management to describe product architectures, requirements, and system variability for complex engineered products.
Variability is a product's capacity to exist in multiple valid configurations — the core property that variant management and Product Line Engineering are designed to control.
Variant management: offering individual customers the best fitting solution with minimum internal complexity — a cross-sectional discipline, not a framework.
A variant space is the complete set of all valid product variants that can be derived from a product family, defined by its variation points and the constraints between them.
A variant table maps product variants to their defining characteristics in a matrix format, providing a structured overview of a product family's variation.
A variation point is a specific location in a product or system architecture where a decision between alternatives must be made to create a specific variant.