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Work with ECOs

An ECO (Engineering Change Order) documents why a part is being revised and collects the approvals needed before the revision can be released. After the first free release, an approved ECO is required to release a file again. For the concepts, see Understand revisions and ECOs.

Open the ECO panel

Click the ECO button in the task pane top bar. The panel shows:

  • A list filtered by Awaiting me (ECOs waiting for your approval), Mine, or All.
  • A New ECO button.

The ECO button carries a badge counting the ECOs that are waiting for your approval.

Open a new ECO

You can start one two ways:

  • From a file: in the Files tab, right-click a source file → Open ECO for this file…. The new-ECO form opens with that file pre-selected.
  • From the panel: open the ECO panel → New ECO.

Then:

  1. Enter a title, pick a reason code (Safety, Cost reduction, Performance, Error correction, Supplier-driven), and add free-text details.
  2. Add the approvers — search the team roster and add them as chips. Everyone you add must approve. At least one is required.
  3. Check the affected files the change covers (at least one). If you include a part or assembly without its drawing — or the reverse — a soft warning points it out; it doesn't block you.
  4. Click Create & submit. There is no draft: the ECO is submitted for review immediately, its affected files freeze, and it appears in each approver's Awaiting me list. An ECO is immutable once submitted — to change scope, cancel it and open a new one.

Approve or reject an ECO

If you're a named approver, open the ECO from Awaiting me:

  • Approve records your approval (with an optional comment). When every approver has approved, the ECO becomes Approved and its files unfreeze for the requestor to edit.
  • Reject ends the ECO (status Rejected); your comment is kept in the history. Rejected ECOs are not reopened — open a new one.

Make the change and release it

Once the ECO is Approved:

  1. The requestor checks out each affected file (they carry an ECO badge while checked out), makes the change, and checks it back in. Only the requestor can edit the files; they're frozen to everyone else.
  2. The requestor clicks Submit for release. GitM verifies every affected file has a new version since approval — if one doesn't, it says which, and you check it in first. The files then re-freeze as awaiting release.
  3. A releaser opens the ECO and sees each file's current version → proposed Rev. They click:
  4. Release all — stamps every file's next revision at once, unfreezes them, and closes the ECO; or
  5. Send back (with a comment) — returns the files to the editable state for more work.

Cancel an ECO

Either the requestor or a releaser can Cancel an in-flight ECO from its detail view (add a comment). Cancelling unfreezes the affected files and leaves their last released revision unchanged — no new Rev is stamped. Cancel is blocked while any affected file is still checked out; check it in or release the lock first.

Expected result

  • ECOs are stored in .gitm/ecos.json and pushed, so teammates and GitMCloud see the same change orders.
  • Release all stamps every affected file's next Rev together and closes the ECO.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Cause Fix
The ECO never reaches Approved Not every named approver has approved (approval is unanimous). Check the approver checklist; chase the remaining approvers.
I can't see Approve/Reject buttons You're not a named approver on that ECO, or it isn't In review. Only the ECO's designated approvers can decide.
Submit for release is blocked An affected file has no new version since approval — there's nothing to release for it. Check that file in with your change, then submit.
I can't check out an affected file It's frozen: pending approval, awaiting release, or being edited by the requestor. Wait for the state to change, or open it read-only. Only the requestor edits during Approved.
Cancel is blocked An affected file is still checked out. Check it in or release the lock, then cancel.
"You're offline" when acting on an ECO ECO changes are written to the server. Reconnect and retry. See Work offline.