PLM Interest Group

The twin drives towards Professional PLM and the PLM Body of Knowledge have a lot of synergy, and need a well-structured approach to achieve them.

			The PLM 2025-35 Project provides the over-arching framework that maximises the cross-over benefits while minimising the input required from participants.

By integrating the two programmes, everyone who participates learns from both streams and can make use of the combined knowledge set.

An article on LinkedIn proposing a discussion about Advanced PLM drew a comment that presentations at trade shows are on the same subjects as ten years ago.

When this is explored further (Forgetting What You Never Knew) it becomes clear that:-

Way back in 2010 a 10-Year PLM Vision was published, entitled '2020 PLM'.  It set out some reasonable aspirations as to how the PLM industry could progress over the forthcoming decade, and how things would be better at the end of it.  Needless to say, when 2020 arrived absolutely none of this had been achieved. The PLM scenario was completely unchanged.

If this is true (and there are no case histories to show that it isn't) then this is a lost opportunity for everybody.  Repeating mistakes costs money, so every implementation that does it is overspending. Learning takes time, and learning the hard way takes longer.

Global corporations have high-level business and geographical requirements for PLM that need very complex, structured solutions. Over the years, the complexity of that effort leads each company to generate its own methodologies based on what is found to work best.

This effort embodies many man-years of experience and learning that have never been shared or re-used. Thousands of different implementations around the world with locked-in knowledge, possibly because the advanced aspects of PLM are so difficult to explain and compare.

The solution is very simple.  Take a number of user implementations that have each developed in their own random way, in response to their different business drivers and technical competences.  Array them in parallel, and we find that their strengths and weaknesses are in different areas.  Where one implementation has a weakness, others will have strengths - so the 'weaker' implementation gets a problem solution for free, immediately.  And that same implementation will have strengths that the others will use.

Not only does this resolve a wide range of specific problems and issues for the direct participants, but it builds the kernel of an industry-wide Body of Knowledge that can be used worldwide, for right-first-time adoption and as the basis for a future PLM Profession.

The PLM 2025-35 Project will run for a year initially, aligned with the natural pace of actual PLM implementations and consisting of two streams:-

PLMIG experience with user groups shows that users come up with much more detailed and practical ideas when working amongst themselves than they do when vendors or advisors are present.  Keeping the separation provides a double benefit, because in order to derive common, neutral conclusions from the Users' work, the findings must be distilled and rationalised - which is exactly what is needed for a Body of Knowledge.

There is obviously an overhead in setting the project up, and for each participant to apply the comparison tools, but this is a fraction of the time and effort it would take to chase through each problem in isolation. The project activity as a whole helps improve governance and adds a layer of discipline, and the overall pace matches the ongoing implementations.  The solutions come holistically and can be applied immediately.

The first draft of the Proposal was discussed at the on-line Meeting of 30 September, and met with general approval.  They suggested one or two very minor adjustments, and it is now available for download.

The Proposal explains everything.  It begins with the same background information that was presented on slides at the September 30 Meeting, and shows how the User Collaboration stream passes solutions between the user participants. The 12-month Gantt chart is straightforward, structured around the central Solution Generation activity, feeding into the Knowledge Development stream.

PLMIG support runs throughout, and the simple Terms and Conditions fit on one page.

Download the Proposal >>>

When you have read the Proposal you may have some questions, or points you would like to raise.  The PLMIG will therefore run two on-line Forum sessions to allow anyone and everyone to add to the discussion.

There will be one early and one late session, each with the same 90-minute Agenda.  This enables participants from almost anywhere in the world to participate.

These sessions are relaxed and entirely open: any PLM practitioner, in any type of role, from any country and from any part of the industry can request a login.  The PLMIG will provide a short presentation on the background and concepts, as shown at the previous Panel meeting; and then run through the Proposal, outlining the logic.

The Agenda is shown below, with the [UK] timings for the Early and Late Sessions.  Choose the session that is most convenient for your time zone.

Participants need only request a Zoom invitation via either of the links below.  The email request link should work at one click, but if it does not then just fill in and return the Request Form.

Email Request >>>                                    Request Form >>>

If the Project looks interesting, download the Proposal.  See what you think, and ask any questions about it either directly via the link below, or by taking part in the Open Forum.

Although everything is being publicised on LinkedIn, the Project is likely to be set up by word of mouth, and as soon as we have enough user organisations it will start.

If you would like to know more about the Initiative or the Proposal, you can request information via
plm2025-35@plmig.com.

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