PLM Interest Group

PLM practitioners tend to be thirsty for ideas on the subject.  Pundits and marketeers have come forward to fill the space, but not with anything that could be regarded as a Body of Knowledge about PLM.

For more almost 15 years, the PLMIG published thought-provoking material for its members and the wider PLM community in the PLM Journal and the 2PLM e-zine.

During that time, the PLMIG has also run a wide range of initiatives that have generated survey results and White Papers, all of which crystallised new knowledge about what PLM is and what it could be.

The very best of these have been compiled into the Compendium of PLM Ideas. With over 500 pages of material, this is the largest collection of neutral PLM theory ever assembled in book form. Whether you are new to the subject, and are looking for some background reading that will bring you up to speed: or an experienced practitioner looking to refresh your thinking; this Compendium is the place to start.

This amounts to an enormous amount of structured, well-directed PLM material, all of which was written to enthuse PLM practitioners of the time with the most advanced thinking.

The timeframe runs from 2004 to 2020, which gives an unparalleled view of the evolution of PLM.  Some of the earliest predictions of the future are now in the past, but this in itself gives insights into where PLM is going.

This is not just a random collection of past articles.  It represents a wealth of neutral and accurate material that is available nowhere else.  Most of the fundamental truths of PLM are timeless, and all of the content has been edited with the modern viewpoint in mind, which means - it has not been edited very much. Everything is in context, and all the detail is there.

Ranging from pure theory (why are there 3 different ways to define PLM?) through to where PLM could go in the long-term future (Level 6 and the 2022 Vision) the articles cover the whole scope of PLM.

The list of Section headings reads like a walk-through of what PLM is, and what it could be:-

• Defining PLM
• Three Definitions of PLM
• How PLM Has Evolved
• Adopting PLM
• Awareness and Justification
• High-Level PLM
• PLM Concept Set
• PLM Vision
• PLM Best Practice
• PLM Standardisation
• PLM Reference Models
• PDM
• PLM-ERP
• Digital Transformation
• PLM Governance
• Metrics
• Project Management
• Financial Management
• PLM Delivery
• User Communities
• Professional PLM
• Professional PLM Round Table
• Syllabus and Qualifications
• The Professional PLM Initiative
• PLM Research
• Research to Transform PLM
• Future of the PLM Industry

This one book contains all of these ideas, adding up to over 500 pages of PLM information and guidance.

The big advantage of bringing all this material into one place is that ideas that were once spaced weeks or months apart now sit together and can be grouped into themes.

And these themes form narratives - short stories about how a particular issue has developed, and where it might go in the future.  These narratives range across all of the most important issues in PLM.

See the Expanded Narratives >>>

This is not an instruction book - it's a vast collection of ideas.  First, read what you want to read; then browse around the subjects; then dip into it again and again.

The Sections themselves provide a higher-level overview from the beginnings of PLM and the development of its internal mechanisms, through to how to do it well and how to shape its future.  It almost describes the 'Story of PLM' since it first became recognised.

It is therefore an excellent resource for those who are just starting with the subject, and are faced with endless Internet searches in order to get up to speed.

It is also a reference point for all of the initiatives, surveys, white papers and new theory that were generated by enthusiastic PLM practitioners in the course of trying to improve the world in which they operate.  In PLM, good ideas last a long time, and are relatively easy to pick up and run with if the will is there.

For experienced practitioners, with a long track record and years of PLM under the belt, the sheer range of topics can act as a refresher, to cross-check your thinking and stimulate a few new ideas about what might be improved.

The Compendium of PLM Ideas is provided in electronic format with Q&A support to PLMIG Members, so you will receive a copy if you join with any class of Membership.

Alternatively, you may buy hard copies from Amazon.

For more information about the Compendium of PLM Ideas, contact compendium@plmig.com.

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