The objective of this recommendation is to provide support for ECM processes with respect to the communication of change data between customers and suppliers. Use of the recommendation allows more efficient integration of all the partners involved in a proposed change as a result of:

• a reduction in the variety of communications methods used in the partner network
• a reduction in the throughput time for a proposed change
• improvements in the quality and reliability of the process
• improvement with respect to the transparency of changes for all those involved
• the reusability of process agreements, interfaces and tools

The recommendation is subdivided into individual parts reflecting the ECM Reference SubProcess involved during the course of a change; this subdivision is subject to change as a result of further developments

This document gives an overview of and offers general recommendations for the overall ECM Reference Process, its modelling and a partner model. It describes fundamentals and basic recommendations valid for each ECM Reference Sub-Process.