As a PLM practitioner, I often see PLM software discussed as a silver bullet – a tool that will magically solve all product development and engineering challenges. The reality is far more nuanced. There are many crucial considerations that receive little airtime when we talk about PLM rollouts. In this post, I’ll shed light on some underdiscussed aspects of implementing PLM across people, processes, and technology.
Customization
Configuring PLM platforms requires reconciling out-of-the-box templates with organization’s unique set of processes. This demands understanding nuances of engineering routines and IP deeply. Failing to capture tacit knowledge leads to friction during adoption. People reject systems that don’t align with deeply ingrained muscle memory. On the other hand, blanket customization also risks bloating complexity and inflating maintenance overhead. Striking the right balance between adapting the PLM system and preserving essential processes demands careful consideration.
Software Versions
Engineering software evolve rapidly, with some vendors releasing multiple versions in the same year. As PLM heavily depends on ecosystems of tools, keeping versions aligned is crucial but challenging. The current PLM version may not support the file formats of latest version of the CAD tool, leading to either downgrade the CAD software or wait for PLM to be updated to accommodate the latest CAD versions. A change in the PLM software development kits (SDKs) version may not be compatible with the SDK versions used by third-party applications or custom integrations. These versioning woes rarely get airtime.
Integrations
PLM doesn’t operate in isolation. Its integration with other enterprise systems is often assumed but not thoroughly discussed. Seamless connectivity with ERP, CPQ, MES, CRM, and other critical tools is essential for a complete view of the product lifecycle. Not paying attention to integration needs can cause data gaps and limit the possible benefits of a full PLM solution. On the technical side, achieving frictionless flows between PLM and surrounding stacks requires thoughtful API and microservices orchestration. Legacy landscapes and heterogeneous tools add to complexity. Bidirectional sync necessitates precise modeling and error-handling.
Data Management
PLM relies on a complex web of interconnected data. Much of it is unstructured – documents, drawings, manuals, images, BOMs, simulations, and more. During rollout of PLM or integrations, reconciliation requires meticulous extract-transform-load (ETL). Mis-tagged files, duplicate records, broken metadata, and inconsistencies are common. Archival, compliance and purging add more dimensions. While this data plumbing is mission-critical, it’s seen as tedious grunt work.
Organizational Change Management
Implementing PLM transforms engineering processes spanning project conception to after-sales support. User adoption necessitates thoughtful change management. Helping people unlearn tools and rituals they have used for decades merits empathy. Custom-built solutions have more flexibility than off-the-shelf apps in this regard. However, change management is considered fluffy and largely ignored to be planned.
Downstream voices
Smooth flows of data and process change across departmental boundaries necessitate empathy, education, and engagement at multiple levels. However, early discussions on PLM often pivot narrowly around engineering feature sets. Downstream voices risk getting lost amidst the noise of CAD, simulation, and BOM management. But ignoring needs outside engineering can cause problems later. Marketing needs to harmonize launch plans with product roadmaps. Manufacturing aims to refine cost sheets in sync with evolving specifications. Such connections need careful management through the lifecycle. Although less glamorous than 3D rendering, diligent cross-department collaboration is key for PLM success.
The Boring Bits Matter
PLM promises compelling vision – a single source of truth for product data, seamless collaboration, integrated processes, paperless engineering. However, realization of this vision depends greatly on some of these practical building blocks – these boring bits get glossed over in aspirational PLM narratives. But overlooking them stores up issues during rollout. Of course, none of this is to dampen excitement over PLM’s potential. Having open conversations on PLM’s unglamorous bits leads to prudent decisions tailored to specific organizational contexts.