PLM User Initiative
Reason for the Initiative
Advanced PLM organisations have left behind the general information sources about PLM, and moved into an area where each
company or corporation is its own pathfinder. PLM practitioners want to interact and learn from each other but the time
required and the detail that is needed are barriers to doing so. The deeper you are into your own implementation, the less
freedom you have to break off and do something constructive that is "off line". A centrally-managed User Initiative will allow organisations to spread their interaction over the course of an entire year,
and to arrange it so that it meshes with ongoing PLM plans. This means that feedback between participants can
consist of real operational parameters and knowledge, rather than pure theory, and will thus advance project timescales rather
than retard them. A comparatively small number of organisations will collaborate with each other in a
programme that includes:-
Collaborative groups may run run in parallel in the USA, Europe and Asia/Pacific, allowing transfer of ideas and best practice between each region. This arrangement will simplify travel arrangements between partners, though some major corporations that regard themselves as truly international may wish to form a "global" group.
The content and working material will be centrally managed by the PLMIG, removing the overhead from participants and protecting pre-existing IPR. The structure will be aligned so that it builds on operational progress and makes use of the PLM Benefits and PLM Maturity Reference Model development. The User Initiative will focus on the value-adding aspects of collaboration, feeding these back into the ongoing implementations of the participants.
ScopeIt became clear in discussions during the PLM User Forum launch in November that to make the real progress that users need, the whole industry needs to be involved.
Most of the barriers that prevent users implementing PLM to its full extent are not related to IT - they arise from issues such as the organisation and culture, from having to re-invent many things because nothing in PLM has been standardised, and from the inability to demonstrate at all levels the commercial impact that PLM has on the business.
All of these are things we know a lot about, but they have never been formalised. We need participation from organisations from all parts of the PLM industry to provide the experience, and a neutral body to manage the programme. The PLMIG has a long track record of producing new working tools including: Benchmarking, Benefits and Maturity, and is the industry organisation best placed to manage the Initiative.
How to Take Part
Look at the User Initiative Deliverables and see if they match the needs of your implementation. If you feel that others should be added, or would like more information about the User Initiative itself, contact the PLMIG via userinitiative@plmig.com.
Copyright 2013. PLM Interest Group
