An apparatus for managing information on at least one part to be used to manufacture a product includes a part-data creating unit configure to create part data that includes information on a part designated by a customer to be used to manufacture a product; a common-function-part data creating unit configured to create common-function-part data that includes at least two common-function-parts that have substantially common functions and priority information of each of the common-function-parts; an acquiring unit configured to acquire replacement-possibility data indicative of whether replacement of designated part with an alternative part is possible; an extracting unit configured to extract an alternative part for the designated part based on the common-function-part data; a determining unit configured to determine whether to replace the designated part with the alternative part based on the common-function-part data and the replacement-possibility data.