There are various definition for variant management but in automotive industry, variant management can be defined as a process to track, manage and control product variants during the product development life cycle. In other words, variant management is required to support different car models with same or similar platform.
The variant management process includes identification of product variants, definition of variant attributes, creation of variant configuration and management of product changes.
Product variants are different versions of a product that share the same basic underlying product structure or platform. For example, a car platform can be shared by different car models with different exterior design, interior design, engine and so on.
Variant attributes are the characteristics of a product variant that can be used to distinguish one variant from another. For example, the exterior design, interior design, engine, transmission, etc. of a car are variant attributes.
The variant configuration is a representation of the product variants and their relationships. It captures the mapping between product variants and variant attributes.
The management of product changes includes tracking, traceability and approvals of product changes. It ensures that only approved product changes are included in the product development process and that the impacts of product changes are properly assessed.
