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    - Why is this Important?
    - Our PLM is already Advanced
    - We are not a Global Corporation
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Advanced PLM

 

PLMIG tools for PLM Justification and PLM Delivery have raised the bar for PLM performance and management.

 

   

It is now possible to measure, with clear and precise metrics, every aspect of a PLM implementation.  You can now know exactly how well you are doing, on a wide range of indicators that were not available before.

It will therefore be possible to define, in detail, what is 'Advanced PLM'.

 

 

 

This makes it possible to answer the question:-

"How do we know that we are doing
PLM as well as possible?"

Of course, PLM Managers are always aiming to improve, and PLM vendors are always aiming to prove that improvements have been made.  The problem in the past has been that PLM was regarded as "unquantifiable".  The new PLMIG toolsets provide a structured way of ensuring that the PLM implementation is performing at the highest level.

 

Why is this Important?

 

This is important because PLM expertise is scattered amongst users, vendors, integrators and consultancies, in exactly the same way that "islands of automation" used to be scattered within manufacturing companies.

Until 'Advanced PLM' is defined and accepted, we cannot aim for it; we cannot learn from it; and we cannot extend its horizons.  The PLMIG aims to correct this by establishing a new industry-wide norm for effective PLM implementation - genuinely Advanced PLM.


But our PLM is already Advanced


Good.  You will need to be skilled and experienced to continue on this page.  However, there are two questions that still need to be answered:-

  • How can we be sure that we are as advanced as we think we are?
  • Are we equally advanced across the entire scope of enterprise-wide PLM?
The Advanced PLM initiative will enable PLM practitioners from all parts of the industry to crystallise that knowledge, learning from each other in the process.


We are not a Global Corporation


You don't need to be huge to do PLM well - you need to be clever.  If you are a company of less than 500 people then you will need to start with the PLM Handbook for SMEs to ensure that you are at the correct starting point.  Everyone else is on the same playing field as the big boys, and should be doing PLM equally as well.


We are a Global Corporation


If you have 50000 employees and sites in 15 or 20 countries, then you want to keep as much as possible of the status quo.  When you have spent years building up an enterprise-wide internal structure, you don't want to dismantle it just to apply something that other people say is better.

Fortunately, that will not be necessary.  The Advanced PLM framework builds on and enhances what is already in place, allowing you to confirm that PLM is optimal throughout the global enterprise.


Elements of Advanced PLM


There are several aspects to Advanced PLM.  In order to manage the complexity, it is best to consider them in parallel.  The results of the PLM Financial Framework and PLM Standardisation initiatives can then be applied in a very focused way.

First and foremost, how well are the PLM Team managing the implementation, as managers?  How do the management tools and techniques compare to those in other companies?

If a PLM implementation is badly managed, then the outcome for the company is unlikely to be excellent.  Establishing norms for PLM Governance will make the activity of management easier to see, easier to learn and easier to improve.

The term 'PLM Best Practice' is widely misused.  There are many claims of "Best Practice" to be found, but none of them have ever been validated.  The term is often applied by vendors and advisors to mean "what we think is a good idea".

PLM Best Practice is far too important to be left in this vague state.  The PLMIG has extensive experience in formulating PLM methodologies, and will leverage the Advanced PLM initiative to capture and codify PLM Best Practice so that everyone in the industry can endorse and adopt it.

It must be the aim of every PLM implementation to have real, financial, factual metrics in place across the whole enterprise.  This will transform the perception that PLM does not do any quantifiable good for the business.  Not only do metrics prove the Benefits of PLM, but they enable much more informed decision-making about PLM strategy and development.

The starting point is to predict the financial benefits that will be gained from new PLM projects, and then to show that these have been achieved on completion. The longer-term goal is to establish a financial management environment that reaches to Board level and that integrates PLM strategy with the long-term strategy of the whole company.  The PLMIG Financial PLM methodology provides the tools to achieve this.

In Advanced PLM, the entire lifecycle needs to be covered with equal emphasis, from cradle to grave - not just the areas that are under the PLM Manager's immediate control.

This requires synergy between many different disciplines, such as CRM, Portfolio Management, Requirements Management, PLMuERP, SCM, MRO, IoT, and modern internet applications.

There is no such thing as a standard PLM implementation - but the PLM Team should apply some internal standardisation of its methods and structure, in order to optimise and streamline the way people work.

The goal of PLM Standardisation is to establish, document and implement a mixed set of standardisation elements that eliminate waste and reinforce best practice.

Standardisation is a skill that needs to be learned.  The PLMIG has worked extensively in this area, and has produced an effective methodology for the PLM Team to apply.

There needs to be a clear definition of when a PLM implementation becomes demonstrably "First Class" or "Excellent".  This is what the PLM Team should be aiming for, and they should receive credit when it is achieved.

This will be defined as Class A PLM, and PLM user organisations can work towards this level of performance now.  Class A PLM is the culmination of all of the Advanced PLM ideas, and is explained in detail here.

With an internationally-agreed level of high performance, users can be sure that their implementations are as good as they could be.  Vendors will be able to provide convincing case studies, integrators will be able to offer targeted solutions, and consultancies will have a new framework to structure their advice.

Not every company needs Transformation - if things are running really well, the aim should be "more of the same" - but at Advanced PLM level it needs serious consideration.

To achieve transformation, first you must believe that it can be done.  Then you must dispel any illusions about how well you may be doing now, so that you plan from the real situation.  Then, and only then, are you in a position to start doing the sums to see how many millions of dollars or euros can be gained through applying best practice PLM worldwide.

The PLMIG methodology covers the whole process from 'Belief' to financial results.


Methodology


The Advanced PLM initiative provides all of the elements listed above within an interactive structure of guidance and feedback.

Large corporations can easily incorporate the PLMIG framework into their global PLM implementation structure to identify and confirm their current areas of Best Practice, and to generate Board-approved financial targets and results.

Smaller companies and early adopters can use the PLMIG framework to move optimally along the PLM development path and to follow PLM Best Practice as they do so.


Find Out More


Find out more by following the links above, or via .


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