PLM, Search and Findability

May 21, 2013

Searching for information is a tricky thing. Search may sounds as a simple operation, but in fact, it is translated to a complex computational, information and organizational task. Search isn’t a new problem. Lots of work was done in this domain for the last 20 years. Google clearly changed a consumer perception about internet search. Google "lady Gaga" and in less than a second you will have all relevant internet information about Lady Gaga.

However, searching inside of corporate data is different. What works for "lady Gaga" type of search, doesn’t work for MPR-345000 type of search for product information, part numbers, documents in SharePoints, emails, intranet sites and other enterprise data sources. It is complicated and daunting task. Sometimes, it even goes beyond of what is most important – it is about where to search. During my previous work at Inforbix, I found customers are usually very confused about searching information. They think about search as an easy and complicated thing at the same time and usually blame IT for not bringing a right solution to solve the problem of search.

I’ve been looking on materials coming from Enterprise Search Europe 2013 conference earlier this week. looking on Enterprise Search and Findability Survey 2013 published by FINDWISE and presented by Kristian Norling few weeks ago. The following two slides caught my special attention. It speaks about what are the obstacles to find the right information. Take a look on the following statistics:

According to the research, there are top 5 obstacles – we do wrong tagging, we don’t know where to search, tools are not perfect as well as tagging made by tools. The last one is even more interesting – we don’t know what to look for.

What is my conclusion? Information search is a complicated, but fascinating topic. For the last few years CAD and PLM vendors started to put more emphasis in order to improve their way to search and actually find the information. However, solving the problem of a single tool is still not enough. Even if company has PLM/PDM system in place, the information usually located in disparate sources. As we learn from the research, the problem is going much beyond searching for a specific set of keywords – data sources are not defined and how to search for right data is not clear as well. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

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PLM Workflows and Google Actionable Emails

May 18, 2013

Process management is an important elements of PLM implementations. PLM systems usually offer a variety of solutions for process management – from simple message routing to complex workflow management systems. However, regardless of process and workflow complexity, all customers are interested how to integrate processes and workflows with their email system.

Email is fascinating topic, in my view. Many companies are still literally run by emails. The fight over the email is one that usually happen when enterprise system is implemented in a company. Usually companies recogniz the problem of email communication and even try to implement Zero Email Policy. However, the typical end of this fight is to integrate their enterprise system with with email solution.

Earlier this morning, I’ve been skimming Google I/O news stream from the last week. One of them resonated with the idea of PLM workflows and email integration – Google makes email more interactive with customizable Gmail action buttons. The original gmail blog article is here. Take few minutes of your weekend time and have a read. Here is the passage that explains what this feature does:

New quick action buttons in Gmail, designed to help you tackle your digital to-do’s as quickly as possible. These buttons appear next to certain types of messages in your inbox and let you take action on an email without ever having to open it. For example, you can RSVP to your friend’s party invitation or rate that restaurant you went to last night all right from the inbox. You’ll be checking things off that to-do list in no time.

Here is an image showing the appearance of customized action buttons.

I found this Gmail update very cool. What makes me specially excited about this feature is the fact Google implemented it using schema.org actions. Schema.org is a collection of schemas (ontologies) that can be used to describe actions. For example, here is a definition of RSVP action. As you can see, you can make it completely customizable for your application.

What is my conclusion? Few weeks ago, I attended an interesting session EOL 4 Email at COFES 2013 in Arizona. One of the topic during that discussion was about future of email as integrated messaging system. I think actionable extension of email is a perfect example of how you can design your future PLM implementation and system to manage processes and keep you in the loop of your email. Ask your PLM vendor or service provider if your system can be extended that way. Important. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

Image courtesy of TechCrunch article.

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Do We Need a Delete Button in PLM?

May 14, 2013

Delete is a special function. In the system dealing with the live data, the meaning of delete is interesting. My first lesson about <delete> function in PDM was 25 years ago. In one of very first data management systems I implemented we used a special flag to mark deleted parts. Later on, I was discussing delete functionality with engineering managers of one of the firms. Think about parts used in production. How you can delete them? They can be not effective for usage, out of stock, discontinued, etc. However, you cannot literally delete them. Back 20 years ago the technology was different. We marked parts and revisions as "obsolete", but we didn’t keep them forever.

Yesterday, in the airport, the following CNET article caught my attention – Google’s Schmidt: The Internet needs a delete button. Schmidt is discussing the nature of internet to absorb data and information that cannot be deleted. Here is an interesting passage:

Actions someone takes when young can haunt the person forever, Schmidt said, because the information will always be on the Internet. He used the example of a young person who committed a crime that could be expunged from his record when he’s an adult. But information about that crime could remain online, preventing the person from finding a job. "In America, there’s a sense of fairness that’s culturally true for all of us," Schmidt said. "The lack of a delete button on the Internet is a significant issue. There is a time when erasure is a right thing."

Well, privacy has a different angle, of course. People are not Part Numbers. However, think about technology behind the internet these days. Think about Gmail. You can be doing email forever without deleting them. I’ve heard some rumors first version of Gmail had no delete functionality. Storage is cheap these days. You literally can keep all information created by design, engineering, manufacturing all the time without deleting this information. Isn’t it fascinating. It can change the way people design and manufacturing things.

What is my conclusion? Delete is a very specially functionality when it comes to systems dealing with a lifecycle. Internet is very much change our horizons in understanding what potentially can include a "total lifeycle" management. It also change a perspective of how to manage lifecycle for a particular eco-system such as PLM. The increasing lifespan covered by PLM systems can improve decision making and provide additional insight in the areas of product development, quality management and others. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

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Who will create first CAD or PLM App for Google Glass?

May 13, 2013

The discussion around Google Glass is heating up. Google was very transparent by rolling out Google Glasses and providing lots of information about what Google Glass experience will look like. You cannot get Google Glasses now- applications are closed now. However, you can leave your email and Google will contact you. The reviews are going from excitement like – Google Glass will definitely get someone punched in the face by this CEO to completely opposite one – Google Fights Glass Backlash Before It Even Hits The Street.

At the same time, you can see the early stages of development debates around Google Glass. Google provided a limited access to Glass development tools – Google Is Holding Closed Door Meetings With Developers To Talk About Apps For Google Glass. Few days ago, I’ve been reading another provoking article – Google Glass Bans Developers From Making Money With Apps – So Why Do Developers Bother? Here is an interesting passage:

But Google has made it quite clear that developers can’t charge for their apps, or include any advertisements. So if developers can’t make any money from the apps they create, what’s driving them to build Glassware? "We want something that is going to excite people," Michael DiGiovanni, developer of the Glass app that lets you take a picture with a wink, told Business Insider. "If you excite people, that helps in your career. Even if you can’t initially monetize it, we want to be at the forefront of new technology."

Actually, according to another article, there are tons of applications for Google Glasses. I recommend you to take a look and get inspired with your potential to develop Google Glass App. I specially liked Path Finder app. You can see sample screen here. I don’t know how real is that, but it looks promising to me.

Few weeks ago, I explored possible scenarios of Google Glass usage in engineering and manufacturing applications – The future of PLM Glassware. Accessing information in a transparent way looks like a promising and interesting opportunity.

What is my conclusion? It is early days of Google Glass technology. Probably, it is a time for vendors to explore new opportunities. I’m looking forward to see more real examples and access Google Glass to try it in a different applications. I wonder, how many CAD and PLM companies are already looking on Glass and the possibility to develop apps? Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

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PLM, Lifecycle and Google Timelapse ideas

May 10, 2013

lifecycle-plm.jpgManufacturing businesses are getting more dynamic these days. It is all about how to change and change fast. The days where manufacturing companies allowed months and even years to respond to business changes are gone. Competition is getting more aggressive. Cost pressure is getting tight. Companies need to have a way to analyze what they do in a perspective of time. This is actually one of the places where PLM technology can provide a bigger value in the future. Think about design changes and problems reported in your products with the time lapse of last 10 years. Think about quality and cost of suppliers for the last 5 years. How PLM can provide such type of insight and information?

Very often, when we speak about PLM, we want to emphasize the middle "L" of what PLM is accomplishing for our customers. It is about Lifecycle. This is where every PLM solution want to excite and provide a value. However, this part of PLM is not developed much.

I’ve been reading about Google Timelapse project earlier this week. Navigate here to read ABC news article – Google Timelapse: A Quarter Century of Earth’s Change. Working with the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA and Time magazine, search giant Google has unveiled a project that shows how planet Earth has changed over the course of a quarter century.

Another article – Time’s Timelapse story provides a bit more details about the project.

With the help of massive amounts of computer muscle, they have scrubbed away cloud cover, filled in missing pixels, digitally stitched puzzle-piece pictures together, until the growing, thriving, sometimes dying planet is revealed in all its dynamic churn. The images are striking not just because of their vast sweep of geography and time but also because of their staggering detail. Consider: a standard TV image uses about one-third of a million pixels per frame, while a high-definition image uses 2 million. The Landsat images, by contrast, weigh in at 1.8 trillion pixels per frame, the equivalent of 900,000 high-def TVs assembled into a single mosaic.

The technology is available online. You can try it by yourself. Read Google’s blog and navigate to the following link to experiment with Google Earth Engine. Here is a search for changes in Haifa district Israel I captured.

haifa-1984-2011.jpg

What is my conclusion? To think about time exploration in the context of manufacturing and engineering information is very inspiring. Data visualization can be potentially very cool and provide a lot of insight to manufacturing organization about how to improve their businesses. What is your take? Do you have an idea of engineering timelapse visualization? Speak up.

Best, Oleg

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PLM and importance of mobile apps

May 7, 2013

Mobile is hyping, trending, skyrocketing… You name it. Everything goes mobile these days. Many developers of enterprise apps are asking these days – what does it mean for me? PLM developers are one of them. How mobile apps are important for users of CAD, PDM, PLM and other engineering applications? In the past, I posted – Mobile PLM gold rush. Did vendor miss the point? My main point – mobile is about how to get a specific job done. It is about how to "read email", "approve task", "review change". However, it is clearly not about how to make "everything mobile" .

I was reading an interesting article few days ago. Larry Page Says Mobile Apps Won’t Hurt Search: ‘The Information Wants To Be Found’. Here is an interesting passage you may want to remember.

CEO Larry Page responded that he “always” gets asked about how the popularity of mobile apps affects Google search, but he’s “not super-concerned” about it. “We’ve been dealing with that issue for a long time,” Page said. “Fundamentally search is an amazing thing for publishers and software developers and other apps. I think, in general, the information wants to be found."

The statement resonate. PLM is first about how to make product information available for people. The right information at the right moment of time. PLM system should deliver this information regardless on type of device you are using – desktop, mobile, Google glass (:)).

What is my conclusion? The critical role of mobile apps in PLM is related to ability to deliver information and make a decision regardless on your location. Product development and manufacturing business is dynamic and distributed these days. Mobile apps need to support it. However, it is only possible by establishing core PLM services managing data and processes in a seamless way. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

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Will Google Create a Platform for New Enterprise PLM?

January 9, 2013

Those of your who following my blog long enough, knows that from time to time, I’m speculating about Google and PLM. The last time I did it was almost a year ago. Navigate to the following link – PLM and Google Enterprise to refresh your memories. While lots of Google technologies (especially in collaboration space) can be very attractive in PLM and manufacturing, Google attitude to enterprise organizations culture, support and focus behind enterprise deals made Google presence in enterprise and specifically manufacturing not very strong.

There are some news here. Google is planning to tackle the enterprise market. On my way to Toronto today, I had a chance to read a very informative interview from CBR – “Q&A with Thomas Davies, Head of Google Enterprise UK and Ireland.” Have a read. It is short and contains some information related to Google’s enterprise strategy. Google is planning to play around three significant trends – cloud, social and mobile (CloSoMo). I found the conclusion about "social" interesting. Google+ remains the designated app here. According to Davis, Google learned a lot from previous experiments from Buzz and Wave. Part of this learning the fact people are not interested "just to interact with a group of people". The demand is to have vertically integrated applications – Gmail, Docs, Hangout and more. Speaking about cloud, Google’s objective is to provide 30% – 50% operational cost saving.

However, the following passage from the interview is my favorite. It related to collaboration and personal productivity.

It’s not for me to comment on Microsoft or any of our competitors. We’ve never said that within Google Apps we will bring out an Office like-for-like replacement. But people want to change. I think the time for personal productivity – going to the office, filling in your spreadsheets and sending them to someone else – is going. There was a standard, monolithic build; SAP in the background, Office and IE on the desktop and BlackBerry. That’s changing and I think the speed of that change has caught IT departments by surprise. That plays nicely into our hands. I think where we will win, and where we are winning, is when it comes to the three main benefits: business benefits, technical benefits and cultural transformation. That’s how you change an entire company.

The point is clear. Excel spreadsheets and email traffic is a reality of many manufacturing companies today. 10 years of web revolution and consumerization made almost not impact on enterprise companies. PLM is one of the most complicated enterprise silos to be transformed. Here is my speculation – Google cloud platform combined with Google+ collaboration services and vertically integrated apps can be a foundation to build a modern PLM replacement for homegrown PLM initiatives and even larger PLM offering. Are you ready to buy this? A good question to ask manufacturing companies with zillions Excel sreadsheets and 10 years old PLM implementations.

What is my conclusion? I can see how enterprise space drives more attention these days. I’m afraid, pure technological play won’t be sufficient. To create partnership eco-system and becoming enterprise friendly – two main challenges Google will experience on that way. In my view, Google technology can make a spectacular success in PLM. Simplification of many engineering and downstream processes via CloSoMo can be an interesting approach. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

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Cloud PDM and 10GB Emails

November 28, 2012

Last year I blogged about Google’s cloud and CAD/PLM readiness. Navigate to the following link to refresh your memories. The trigger for that post was Google’s announcement about personal storage scale up to 16TB. Could you imagine that number? Ask manufacturing companies about size and scale of their storage. Few of them will come even to 10TB of engineering drawing storage. My conclusion last year was that cloud infrastructure will grow. We clearly can see it now.

The following Mashable publication and Google announcement caught my attention yesterday. Here is the passage explaining what you can do.

Google announced Tuesday that it will be integrating Google Drive into Gmail, a move that will make it possible to send files up to a massive 10GB in size over email. A new button in the Gmail compose window will give users the ability to attach a file from their Google Drive account rather than attaching the file itself to the message. Once it’s attached, Gmail will ensure that your recipient has permission to view the file in your Drive account -– or will prompt you to grant that permission –- and then sends the message.

Google’s announcement made me think again about how many companies are sharing data and collaborate. File servers, Emails, Excel and file attachments is the most widely used configuration of so-called “DIY PLM”. Does it work well? I don’t think so. At the same time, for many companies this is the only affordable solution. What is IT alternative to the companies struggling to solve their data management and collaboration problem? The possible solutions are going from SharePoint and homegrown systems to basic PDM packages. None of them are perfect. Many people in the companies are sharing data using Google and Dropbox and avoiding complicated IT infrastructure.

What is my conclusion? I think, vendors need to make a note. The fundamental engineering data management problem is not resolved for many companies. People are still struggling to implement PDM and share engineering documents across the organization. Will these companies move to Google cloud tomorrow? I’m not sure about that. Will “frustrated users” try to use Google to share data between people? Possible. Most of IT infrastructure projects, including SharePoint are not ready to handle this problem yet. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

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Why PLM is more complicated than Google?

November 16, 2012

Integration is a tough job. Especially when it comes to the enterprise software. The typical manufacturing company landscape is siloed it contains many systems – office application, email, content management, CAD, CAM, CAE, PDM, PLM, etc. Beyond that set of systems, every company has ERP and few additional enterprise systems. In my view, the demand of people these days is to have integrated environment. In PLM, the discussion about “integrated vs. best of breed environment” can get very hot. As an example you navigate to the following Tech4PD video debates by Jim Brown and Chad Jackson – Granularity vs. Integration: Suites vs. Best-in-class PLM.

Interesting enough, I found the web environment these days has near the same level of integration as enterprise environment. Google’s environment very often provides an appealing use case too. Think about Gmail, Calendar, Google Drive, Web and some additional Google systems. How to help people to have integrated and seamless environment? Integrated search is one of the ways to solve the problem. Google is trying to solve the problem by providing integrated Google personal search that capability to reach outside of Gmail and collect information from other Google applications. I submitted to evaluate this feature using my personal gmail account and hope to share my feedback with you later.

PLM vendors are experimenting with integrated search user experience too. You can see them in the different examples of technological and product announcements as well as acquisitions PLM companies made during past 2 years – Dassault Systemes Exalead, Autodesk Inforbix, Siemens PLM Active Workspace, Aras Enterprise search and some others.

However, integrated search is a complicated problem. Even Google – the absolute technological leader in a search domain is confirming the complexity of search beyond the web. Navigate to the following article to read more – Google Amps Up Personal Search to Combine Gmail, Calendar, Drive and More published by All Things D last month.

To me, the most notable passage in this article is related to the complexity of the integration and integrated search.

Back in August, Google noted its Gmail index is as large or larger than its Web corpus, but with much higher and more complicated privacy requirements. All of these personal search experiments are available only in English and for personal Gmail accounts.

What is my conclusion? Search and data is a difficult problem. Enterprise and PLM environment clearly provides a more complicated case compared to public web in terms of search, content processing, permission and business logic. Brutal computing force helps, but it is not an ultimate solution for integrated environment. You need to have domain knowledge and probably apply some advanced engineering to solve this problem. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

Picture credit newmediaandmarketing.com

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PLM Innovation, Information and Ambient Intelligence

October 26, 2012

One interesting trend that I captured during my stay at PLM Innovation conference these days was about "information" word. It was one of the most widely used terms by many presented and people I talked to. Do you remember what we had 10 years ago? The biggest concern of people implementing PDM/PLM tools was about how to establish the environment that can manage and control data. However, the time is changing fast. Everybody today are questioning how to access the information.

I’ve been reading an interesting article earlier this week – A new Google app gives you local information before ask for it. The article outlined a new application Google just released – Google Field Trip. Navigate here to learn more. Field trip is an application that recognizes where are you and presenting your local data even before you ask and search. I found the idea quite interesting. Obviously, it is not related to PLM. Google is not capable to search for manufacturing data, so don’t even try to run it in your company manufacturing shopfloor. Google will help you with San-Francisco landscape and monuments as well as searching for Lady Gaga last clips. However, I found the following passage very important and interesting:

“The idea behind the app was to build something that would help people connect with the real, physical world around them,” said John Hanke, a vice president of product at Google who runs a small lab at the company building location-based and social mobile apps. “It’s always running in the background, so it knows where you are and is always looking to see if something interesting is in your immediate physical environment.” While the app might seem small, it reveals a lot about the big directions Google wants to go. Google, along with other companies and researchers, dreams of so-called ubiquitous computing or ambient intelligence — computers woven into the texture of life as opposed to being separate machines. Eventually, the theory goes, computers will be part of the environment, know where people are and anticipate what they want to know.

What is my conclusion? Ambient intelligence. Actually, I liked this term. People like when software gets smarter. The problem is that PLM industry produced lots of difficult applications that exposed how complex and smart it inside. How many times we heard: look how we can support this complex model and data relations. I think we have a new set of priroties nowadays. The challenge is how to switch to dumb and simple user experience combined with ambient intelligence. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg

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