A little black book is a pocket directory of whatever is of interest. It often includes a useful strategy checklist, implementation guidelines, hints and tips of what works and what does not, reference contacts, etc. Just imagine if there was such thing for PLM: a repeatable framework to implement operational improvements; an overarching “guiding framework” for digital transformation, initial platform agnostics and platform-specific when required; and a holistic framework to follow with all mandatory and optional steps to initiate, design, build, test and deploy PLM. Now, that sounds handy. How can you get one?
You can’t. It doesn’t exist. Let’s explore why.
Many Questions, But No Magic Recipe
Considering “how to get up the PLM maturity ladder” typically brings many questions from engineers, mid-level managers and executives, such considerations usually cover a range of questions which can be simplistically summarized in nine themes in no particular order:
- What does PLM mean for the organization, and how “mature” is the organization with its understanding and use of PLM and related solutions? How does PLM fit in the wider enterprise digital landscape? This is often an emotional question.
- What process-based “best practices” and platform-specific principles need to be considered when selecting, implementing and using a PLM platform? This relates to the product development use cases, such as where to find and how-to re-use them.
- What technical, system and implementation-based “best practices” are required to ensure PLM success? Do they exist or apply to the organizational context? This again includes where to find and how-to re-use them.
- More technically, should a cloud-based or hybrid infrastructure architecture be selected? Are PLM SaaS platforms mature enough to integrate PLM to the wider digital thread?
- What is the most commonly used platform in a given industry? How does the organization benchmark compare with industry standards and among high performers? Also, why is that different?
- How much change and learning will be required to embark on a fully integrated digital transformation across the PLM process and platform landscape?
- Should the organization engage with the vendor directly and/or appoint a system integrator to own the full end-to-end solution delivery? Alternatively, should the organization lead the solution or engage external support differently? What are the possible engagement models?
- What access, performance and usability can the PLM platform deliver, and how do PLM vendors compare? This includes questions about the visualization of large data sets and supply chain integration topics.
- How should the organization get started and internal stakeholder buy-in and budget approvals, as well as create a credible digital transformation roadmap and select and adopt the deployment framework that will answer the above questions and, in turn, enable PLM success?
If PLM was a repeatable process or clear IT system, there would be many generic clues as to how to answer the above questions. Moreover, if these clues were consistent and consensual, they would constitute one step forward toward PLM clarity.
Value Frameworks: From Discoveries to Strategic Initiatives
The above questions are not unique to PLM. They apply to all disciplines—(ERP, MES, CRM, etc.—and digital platform selection, upgrade, replacement or integration. The fact that makes them more relevant for PLM is that there is no widely available framework for PLM platform implementation. Elements of such frameworks exist in the form of “little black books” that vendors and system integrators use to sell and sometimes implement their solutions.
Every digital platform vendor has developed its “value creation” framework to help clients select and implement their solutions.
- SAP used to have the ASAP methodology—namely Accelerate SAP, which was later rebranded SAP Activate. It appears to be one of the most comprehensive implementation frameworks as pretty much everything has been templatized.
- PTC has its Value Roadmap, including one specifically for the Internet of Things (IoT) to guide OEMs as they prioritize business use cases and help them measure current operations versus expected improvements.
- Dassault Systèmes developed its Value Engagement Model as a consulting tool to scope business value and define implementation roadmaps.
- Siemens created the Catalyst framework to help narrow the value gap between current and future operations. It is another useful approach to help define the business case and guide organizations toward an effective implementation start.
Consulting organizations also have proprietary toolkits that often build upon the above vendor frameworks. They have the same goal: define and maximize return on investment and accelerate value realization from PLM. Two core criteria to consider are:
- Business value – The difference between current and future operations, and value gaps, the difference between how technology is used now versus how it could be used more effectively.
- Time to benefit realization – This is based on complexity, pre-requisites, dependencies, etc.
The former is fairly straightforward to define upfront, though it requires ongoing maintenance and revision. The latter is more difficult to maintain as it requires applying the organization’s contextual experience with the selected platform and technology implementation.
Unlocking PLM Secrets
Even if there is no guaranty of success, dealing with change can be structured and embedded into a consistent delivery framework. That applies not only to the front-end piece of work to define the art of the possible but also to the “sell” needed for a business’s digital transformation. PLM sits at the intersection of many disciplines that potentially have their own secret sauce. Of course, for each category, there are multiple recipes to cook it.
The table below lists a number of things to watch that every organization embarking or running a PLM initiative would want their trusted consultant to bring in their little black book.
Perhaps contrary to common thinking, there is no “black magic” with implementing successful PLM. Only common sense and experience prevail. There is no single black book that would cover the above, non-exhaustive guidelines. One key to success is to ensure that the core delivery team can together bring the relevant holistic experiences and trusted relationships that PLM initiatives require.