Integration of the PLM system with other applications

Different stages of deployment

A well prepared development project eliminates risk of failure. Deployment of PLM project requires time and resources.
Right people: skills, expertise, knowledgeetc Sufficient time: projects may take months to years.
>> cos size, chosen system, approach taken.

Being a computer-based system, PLM needs to be ready for rapid changes after implementation.
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Factors to consider in a PLM project

Scope of the system

<-Stages & Features PLM system project->

Cos size

Cos enterprise character

Stages of the PLM system project

1 Understanding the need for change

Choosing a system

Realization stage of the project

Accomplishing change in the organization

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Understanding the need for change

The need for change may come up in several different ways.
Gradual.
E.g., Problems have reached their tolerance levels.

Spontaneous.
E.g., Conceived at strategic planning session.

Likewise, the understanding and acceptance of the need for change.

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Reasons for the need to change

Taking the steps to effect changes may be decided by several reasons;
To improve after sales market share:
Maintenance, spare parts, customer satisfaction..etc.

To reduce time-to-market:
Design/Parts reuse, Flexible configurationsetc.

Perceiving the need for a change

The need for change can arise from:
The management level. The operative level.

Most important, the management level must:

understands the significance of PLM provides support throughout the project.

Study of present (AS IS) and objective (TO BE) processes

PLM project is a development project for business processes related to the formation and use of product information. It is only a tool that can be used to bring system and discipline to these processes.
An absence of discipline in the process is often a serious problem.
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Bringing in discipline to business processes

Sources of the problems:
- Lack of guidance and documentation for new employees - Lack of instructions for using IT systems - Unclear understanding of the overall picture and meaning of the process - Unclear division of responsibilities between different departments - Alternative ways of performing tasks - No management of different revisions and variations of documentation - No management of different revisions and variations of items
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AS IS and TO BE processes
~use the PLM maturity model TO BE

Set clear targets for the project :

Understand the present state of product data and LCM. >> check existing docs. >> hired consultants to help.

AS IS

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PLM maturity model

1
Unstructured

The PLM topic has been recognized and its importance agreed. Work must be done to define and develop the PLM concept and standards. However, at present, there are no defined approaches concerning lifecycle management; all lifecycle and product management issues are resolved by individuals on a case-by-case basis. Lifecycle and product management processes have developed to the stage where similar procedures are followed by different people undertaking the same task (i.e. the processes function on ad hoc bases). There is no formal development, definition, training, or communication of standard processes; all responsibility is left to individuals. There is a high degree of reliance on individual knowledge and therefore errors occur.
Processes and basic concepts are standardized, defined, documented, and communicated through manuals and training. However, the human factor is important, there is no end-to-end PLM process supporting IT systems, all work is completely or partially manual from the process point of view. IT systems support individual parts of processes. The PLM processes or basic PLM concepts are not best-of-the-breed, nor are they uniform throughout the corporation, however they are formalized. Processes and basic concepts are standardized, defined, documented, and communicated through manuals and training. However, the human factor is important, there is no end-to-end PLM process supporting IT systems, all work is completely or partially manual from the process point of view. IT systems support individual parts of processes. The PLM processes or basic PLM concepts are not best-of-the-breed, nor are they uniform throughout the corporation, however they are formalized. Processes and basic concepts are standardized, defined, documented, and communicated through manuals and training. However, the human factor is important, there is no end-to-end PLM process supporting IT systems, all work is completely or partially manual from the process point of view. IT systems support individual parts of processes. The PLM processes or basic PLM concepts are not best-of-the-breed, nor are they uniform throughout the corporation, 11 however they are formalized.

Repeatable but intuitive

Defined

Managed and measurable

Optimal

Choosing a system
Immediate PLM implementation is difficult, it depends on the cos:
Extensiveness of operations, Financial resource, Human resource.

~different business units, organizations, or locations, vary in maturity that require different development paths.
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The phases involved in choosing a system

Becoming acquainted with existing systems and their suppliers. Visits to companies using the systems. Choice of systems to pilot. Piloting the systems. Negotiating commercial terms, project content and timetables. Selecting a system.

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The phases involved in choosing a system

Get acquainted with existing systems and their suppliers Visit companies using the systems 2 ways

Customize the software to match requirements ~ provide new, customized functions. ~ more expensive. ~ slow deployment. ~ requires upgrading (with newer system versions).

Do not customize. Make direct use of existing features ~ quick deployment. ~ operations can be adapted to system welltested features.

Select systems to pilot

Pilot the systems Negotiate commercial terms, project content and timetables Choose a system

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Points to consider when choosing a system

1. The principal market (industrial sector) of the PLM software in question, the software products roadmap or development plan, and the software companys vision for the future 2. The softwares functional and technical features; its limitations , architecture and scalability 3. The level of integration; opportunities for use of standard technologies (e.g. XML) 4. The amount of implementation work and the time required, own versus outside work 5. Ease of maintenance 6. Ease and comfort of use 7. Available support and other supplier services, such as user conferences 8. Total price: work, licenses, maintenance, new third-party software, acquisition of expertise, hardware 9. Existing implmentations, reference visits 10. The PLM programs support for multilingual item and documentation management 11. Interface language versions.
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Realization stage of the project

Subproject

Divide the project into several subprojects

~ system start-ups are usually in several different locations. ~ introducing all functionalities of the system in all offices at the same time is difficult. ~ different areas require different expertise.
Subproject Subproject

PLM project
Subproject

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Project stages
Start of the project

Visit companies using the systems Preparation and planning of the project

Start up phase of the system

Feedback and action

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Tasks arising in the project plan

- Survey of resource requirements - Creation of the project organization - Basic PLM training for the project group - Study of present and target processes - Definition of objectives - Definition of the intended PLM system - Functionalities of the PLM system in the processes of the company - Creation of an IT system map - Definition of the desired product information/data model - Definitions of item groups, item descriptions, translations, attributes and other property data - Definitions of document types, groups, descriptions, and other property data - Other data model objects, such as projects, customers, and products - Different statuses and their handling - Work flows and their definitions
- Definitions of interfaces to other systems - Creation of databases - Installation of test environment - Basic parameters of the system - Implementation of system interfaces, testing - Preparation for the transfer of old data, choice of transfer tools - Possible improvement plans for data - Cleaning and harmonization of data - Document transfers - Item transfers - Training for the project group - Advanced PLM training for the project group - Creation of document templates - Creation of work instructions for training - Installation of the production environment - System administrator training - End user training - System interfaces 18 - Testing, approvals

The transfer of items and documents

~from old systems or even from outside the old systems to the PLM system must be considered, case by case.

estimating documentation:
Life cycle status handling of the document. Life cycle status handling of the product related to the documentation. Number of documents. Significance of the product related to the documentation.

estimating items:
Life cycle status handling of items (activity: is the item used in production/ in spare part use/not used anymore, etc.) Availability of item information from other systems Possible use of the items in other departments
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Start up
The beginning of production use can be handled, and is often best handled thru phase by phase; sector by sector.
The features and properties of the software are so complex that everything cannot be used at once.

Phasing examples:
Management of CAD drawings. CAD models. Management of item information. Management of item structures. Management of product documentation. Management of project documentation. Management of other documentation entities.
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Steering group
The steering group needs to:
To co-ordinate the progress of the project. To prepare the projects enterprise level decisions for presentation to the companys management team. To make decisions that are related to the project and which affect the modes of action of company. To be responsible for the costs of the project. To be responsible for project schedule. To support the project managers. To motivate employees in favour of the project.

The membership of the steering group (cross-

discipline)
R&D manager Production manager IT manager Development manager Marketing manager Sales manager Quality manager Business unit manager Managing Director/President

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Project group
The project group consists of individuals with specific skills, knowledge and expertise drawn from several disciplines. The group will perform all the tasks and take responsibility for all technical problems and business process issues.
CAD development persons R&D personnel Mechanical engineers Electrical engineers System engineers Software engineers Factory managers Production engineers IT personnel System administrators

Marketing and sales personnel Technical support engineers Spare part managers Logistic managers Order handlers Documentation engineers Quality managers Business controllers

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Project manager
The project managers central tasks are among other things:
To maintain contact with the system suppliers. To co-ordinate the internal meetings required for the project. To organize the work to be done in the project. To solve problems appearing in the project. To provide information about the progress of the project.

An organization model for a PLM project

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Anticipated problems
Potential risks in:
The creation of uniform modes of action. The division on the use of the system between people and departments. The definition and deployment of system integration. The operating problems/technical errors in the software

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Accomplishing change in the organization

Organizational change

~Information has become the most important success factor for some companies.

New way of sharing information and expertise

PLM:
Change Project
New ways of working New way of thinking

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The basic elements required for accomplishing change

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