How Big Is Product Lifecycle Data?

July 6, 2010

Product-related data is one of the most important aspects of any PLM implementation. When you talk about PLM implementation, the topic of product-related data (or IP) is very often becomes a center of the conversation.  There are multiple sources of this type of data in the organization. In my view, one of the PLM goals is to have a control of this data and provide tools to manage the overall lifecycle. One of the PLM implementation challenges is to provide wide support for product-related data. The topic I want to discuss is related the ability of PLM product to handle full scope of this product lifecycle data.

I read the article Oracle, SAP working on Exadata support. The core of this conversation is about how to scale up and provide extensive support for big data handling in the organization. Have a read of this article and make you opinion. Mine is simple – both Oracle and SAP understood the size of the potential problem (data size). They are working in multiple directions to find a solution for data sizing in transactional enterprise application. Should PLM care? This is a very good question in my view…

PLM and Product Lifecycle Data Problem
One of the challenges PLM is having for many years is getting control of product-related data. My observation shows that product-related data is not completely controlled by PLM systems in the majority of PLM implementations. Even with a very successful PLM implementation, data is scattered between multiple data sources and PLM is only one of them. In addition to that, product-related data can be located in the diverse set of applications used for product development.

Product Data, Size and PLM value
The full value of Product Lifecycle Management is directly dependent on how what scope of product-related data is covered by PLM. The wider scope can maximize PLM value for organizations. With all current developments, PLM is looking on starting from design to manufacturing strategies and development of social-oriented application, sizing can easily become one of the potential bottlenecks related to the ability to support large scope of data.

What is my conclusion? I think, to understand sizing of product lifecycle data is important in order to build right operational and strategic plans related to data management. Data is growing fast. Future PLM implementation can suffer from problems related to data sizing. How to scale up PLM implementation in terms of size can be one of the most important questions in the future. Just my thought…

Best, Oleg

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8 Comments | Daily PLM Think Tank, Future Trends, PLM Implementation | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by olegshilovitsky

Why Do We Need PLM to Control Product Cost?

December 22, 2009

I’d like to continue discussing topics that create maximum confusion between PLM marketing and reality. Today, I want to talk about one, that probably in the top list of all manufacturers – product cost. Yes, you want it down, no doubt. If you will talk to PLM marketers, they will all tell – PLM is the way to go. However, how magically it will happen? Why PLM can help you manage cost? How practically it will happen? I decided to discover the potential answers on these questions today…

Let me think about a traditional manufacturing environment that is not going to implement “PLM strategies”, but indeed is looking how to decrease cost of their products. The most reasonable approach is to ask different business units to develop their cost saving programs- R&D, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Support. I believe, these organizations will be able to deliver decent results. Now, depends on manufacturing type, they have various chances to be successful. For the long run, the company manufacturing the same (or similar) products will be able to optimize cost of products. Their best chance to do so, will be for mass-manufacturing products. Within the time, all functional areas will be optimized and learn from the experience how to manage product costs for what they are doing. There are two potential problems in this approach. First is the time scale and the second production volume. What does it mean?

Time Scale in Manufacturing
With a significant time period, your manufacturing organization has a good chance to develop reasonable good product cost practices. Designers will find optimal solutions, right suppliers will be designated and subcontracted, manufacturing facilities will be optimized, etc.

Production Volume
The previous assumption of time scale will be working if you will continue to manufacture big series of products. With growing number of manufactured items, your product cost will go down.

What is the problem with such assumptions? The only one, in my view. This is less and less happening in modern manufacturing. Market demanding customization in production and due to that time and product volume is going down. So, manufacturers need to manage very flexible practices in their environment to maintain balance between production volume, time and cost.

Now, I want to get to my original question. How PLM can help? PLM is managing product data and processes. How product cost will be resulted from that? My answer – PLM need to facilitate cross-functional IT functions in the organization. Your functional domains are separate. Most of the systems in today’s IT are department oriented and rarely have global organizational exposure.  PLM need to make a success in cross-functional data and processes management. This will be a key for PLM success in the organization. And this is still not happenings…

What do you think about that?
Best, Oleg

9 Comments | Daily PLM Think Tank, PLM and organization, PLM Basics | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by olegshilovitsky

Product and Process Models in PLM – What Should Come First?

December 3, 2009

Common definition of the process – “a set of activities leading to the desired outcome”. Despite on such simple and straightforward definition, implementation of processes in PLM delayed and very often lead to a significant complexity in implementation. I’d like to analyze and discover why it happens and what other factors can influence process implementation in the organization.

Process Model.
It depends on tools, technologies and environment customer has, processes in the organization can be modeled and implemented differently. Normally, there are more than one enterprise systems in the organization that is able to handle process modeling. Starting from middleware and specialized BPM software, following by enterprise systems such as ERP and PLM and ending with various Enterprise 2.0 collaboration tools. Process model, these days, can be developed by multiple tools. For the last few years, BPMN becomes somewhat similar to the standard process definition tools. What is the main problem? Data. Various products and corporate data needed to be injected into process implementation to make it work.

Product Model.
Originally started from CAD models, product model developed as an extended set of information describing various aspects and dimension of product – model, bill of material, requirements, items, information about customer requests etc. As we learned from process model definition, this specific product model information is needed to make process definition. Processes actually need to access data to trigger tasks and events to handle processes.

So, what should come first? Product or Process? My conclusion is that lack of the rational product model can drive to a very high level complexity of process definition and implementation. Product Model is the foundation of product lifecycle. Without a well defined product model that can cover enterprise product definition scope and related disciplines, development of a process oriented PLM environment becomes a complex and not achievable task. Organization implementing PLM as a process environment needs to invest first in implementation or adoption of the product model that will be used as a process foundation.

What is your opinion? What was your experience in similar tasks and efforts?
Best, Oleg

21 Comments | Business Process Management, Daily PLM Think Tank, PLM and organization, PLM Implementation | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by olegshilovitsky

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