-Rob Cohee

Thanks Rob, still astonished by the high speed people can implement AND decide. I would feel more comfortable if you would have stated: By A lunchtime, ……

Jos

Thanks Dwane – good question anxious for the answer too. Rob ?

Solid article, great thought provoking read here. Just to clarify the 2 vs 6 week time frame real quick. At the time of the PLM Forum they were 2 weeks into their implementation and had already created EBOM, Project Management, and Task Management workspaces. 4 weeks later I wrote the blog where I referenced the additional processes implemented, and their latest project.

Implementations of PLM 360 as we are seeing them are continually improved upon. Unlike traditional software we don’t have to put a stake in the ground and say “complete”. You can continually improve your processes, expand the technology into other areas over time at the pace that is appropriate for the customer.

So there wasn’t a discrepancy in the numbers 2 vs 6 here at all, rather the continuation from when you first heard her story.

Hope that clears things up a bit.

Cheers,
Rob Cohee
Autodesk PLM 360 Product Manager

Thanks Rob for your positive feedback and I believe you made an important statement. I also believe PLM is not a project that will be “complete” after a certain time. As it supports a business strategy, and strategies might change, PLM needs to be flexible too. For that point I am convinced Autodesk PLM 360 brings the infrastructure. My experience and concerns are related to people, who are usually not so fast to agree.

Jos

Dwane thanks for your feedback and I feel some misconception in your comment.

Jos

Great post on PLM killing innovation — an interesting perspective I have yet to read elsewhere… I couldn’t find an email on your site, but I was wondering if you accept guest posts on virtualdutchman.com? I included my email below if you’d like to get in touch to discuss further.

Kind regards,
Jason

Thanks Michael, yes I discovered your blog, you even succeeded to stay away from PLM best regards

Jos

I believe PLM aids innovation in several ways. I agree with Kirk, and might be just restating what he said, but with a very different perspective (as a PLM implementor and application developer).

1) Formalization of Data and Process Relationships

PLM helps us clean up our processes and data by formalizing relationships between them. Standard business processes that have been done for decades can sometimes be replaced by real-time database searches due to the expanded data and relationships in the PLM database. Just the effort of formalizing and consolidating processes and relationships across many organizations helps identify tasks and data that can be eliminated.

I am often surprised by how much work is done by one department to collect and package data (from CAD models and CAE analyses), which is then passed to another department, extracted into a different data organization and dissected to feed to next set of processes. The extensive data and process relationships in the PLM database allow triggers in the database and workflow model to initiate the next set of processes.

2) Process Automation Reduces Distractions

PLM, with the extensive data and process relationships, allows automation of the tedious, straightforward tasks. The users spend less time and energy on tedious tasks such as identifying the person responsible for a specific task (for example, the person responsible to solve a specific type of conflict in the design, for a given system, discipline and physical location). The users can think at a higher level, can immediately see the impacts of a change, and can focus more on the creative ideas. In other words, users focus more of their attention on innovation.

3) Who knows?

Innovation can come from almost anywhere. But after the initial creative idea, often prompted by a new perspective on the old data, innovation requires a lot of good information and hard work. The PLM database provides the information needed for innovation, and provides the tool to apply the new perspective. (The same hard work is still required.)

My conclusion – PLM, when fully implemented, will be one of the biggest enablers of innovation that we have ever seen (for large companies). The PLM database (which may be an interacting collection of databases from various tools) will enable and promote innovation in complex collections of processes and products.

Thanks George and I agree with your statements as you might be able to discover from my later post: PLM and Innovation

Jos

I have recently started a new job and the position initially offered to me was Change Manager. However, I have been asked to look at Configuration Control and provide reccomendations for it’s implementation and/or improvement. At present CC with this new company is non existent apart from a live Parts Database. BOMs are continually changing as a new part is added to a particular system.

As I have limited knowledge of Config. control, BOMs and product structure, could you advise me of the right questions I should be asking to move towards any recommendations. I realise that this is a grey area and I may be asking too much, but any help would be very welcomed. Maybe we could talk offline if you send me an e mail address.

Thanks for your time

Jeff Stinchcomb

Jeff hi – I agree there is a lot to discover in this area, which most of the time is not public available. I will send you an email in order to be able to discuss this topic offline.

Jos

For years, our tag line was “Managing the Process of Innovation”, meaning our customer’s innovation. The ethos behind this statement has long been deeply embedded in our culture, and still is.

“Innovation” absent real life context conjures up a fond image of two buddies toiling away in their garage, deep into the night. This isn’t exactly what we encounter in the field, at least not the garage part.

To my PLM customers, innovation doesn’t end with the creativity applied to the form and function of a great, new product. It’s extends out to making the right product profitably in an increasingly complex, dynamic and treacherous global marketplace. This inevitably means internal heavy lifting, such as reversing cultural inertia, dismantling costly processes, and securing support amid the trepidation that accompanies any major transition.

Vision, sound leadership, skill, intelligence, commitment, enthusiasm, perseverance and teamwork are all essential to innovation, and to every successful PLM initiative. Conversely, the absence of any of these qualities, not PLM, will kill innovation, and ultimately the business.

The product development environment my customers work in sounds harsh and unforgiving only because it is. PLM, properly used, merely enables them to make the going tougher still for their competition.

Thanks Kirk for your statement and I am glad you made your plea for PLM and Innovation.

Jos