---
title: "Run a what-if scenario on a PLM staging journal"
slug: "run-a-what-if-scenario-on-a-plm-staging-journal"
description: "Evaluate PLM staging journal alternatives with what-if scenarios to minimize risks and plan product lifecycle changes before posting."
tags: ["ECM Impact Agent", "Task", "ECM plus"]
updated: 2026-08-18T08:34:03Z
published: 2026-08-18T08:34:03Z
canonical: "docs.staedean.com/run-a-what-if-scenario-on-a-plm-staging-journal"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.staedean.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Run a what-if scenario on a PLM staging journal

Use the what-if scenario to evaluate alternatives for a PLM staging journal before you post it. As with the engineering change order what-if analysis, the agent recalculates the pre-posting impact with your modified parameters and shows a before-and-after comparison. Use this task to plan the product lifecycle change and to reduce the risk of downstream disruption before the journal becomes an ECO.

## Prerequisites

- You have run an impact analysis for the PLM staging journal in the current conversation.
- The ECM+ Impact Agent is accessible to you in Copilot chat.

## Steps

1. In the same Copilot chat conversation, ask a what-if question for the PLM staging journal. For example, ask the agent to delay the effectivity date, to exclude a customer, or to focus on new orders only.
2. Review the recalculated pre-posting impact that the agent returns with the modified parameter.
3. Compare the before-and-after results, including the change in severity and the transactions that dropped out of scope.
4. Use the outcome to plan the product lifecycle change before you post the journal.

### Results

- You receive a before-and-after comparison of the pre-posting impact for the staging journal.
- The scenario helps you plan the change and reduce the risk of development or operational disruption before you post the journal.

> [!NOTE]
> Note
> 
> Run the what-if scenario before posting so that you can adjust the journal lines while they are still editable.