Clarity on PLM

What I learned this week … came from PLM Processes: Flowchart vs. Rule-based? from Oleg in PLM Twine. He discusses rule-based business processes for PLM, which immediately set off red flags in my head based on past experience. Oleg made me think about two different experiences I have in the same context, and it made me shudder. Why? I have seen rules go wrong too many times. And I have seen workflow processes go wrong just a many times.

Workflow Warnings

As Oleg knows, I am bit of a process weenie. Years at Andersen Consulting (the part that is now Accenture) will do that to you. I am 100% in favor of defining processes as a part of implementing business change and supporting technology. But here are some tidbits that I think are worth sharing:

• Define All Processes - Technology implementations should be process driven. Unless you define how the technology helps the business, you won’t get the most out of it.  
• Automate Some of Them - Not all processes should be workflows. While workflow is a great tool to automate and enforce processes, don’t overdo it. I have seen people implement workflow for workflow’s sake. It should be used as needed to improve efficiency and process adoption, but don’t workflow everything.
• Don’t Sweat the Exceptions – There are times where humans need to step in to make decisions and alter workflows. Don’t try to handle every exception condition. If you can identify them and send an alert, great. But most importantly make sure you have flexibility to alter a workflow based on business needs. This is where I see rules-based processes go wrong. Companies try to make rules cover too much, get too complex, and end up being hard to maintain, outdated, and eventually ignored.

The combination of workflow and rules can be very powerful, but can also lead to a resource sinkhole of if not approached cautiously. This is true for the process / rule authors and those that execute them alike.

Implications for Manufacturers

Define your processes. Use workflow where it makes sense. Keep it simple. Don’t try to do too much. Don’t forget that in many scenarios people make better decisions in context than any pre-determined set of rules can handle – don’t tie their hands. If you have standard operating procedures that you need to follow, you may need to document process exceptions. But don’t entirely lock them down in the system. Exceptions will happen, and if the system doesn’t accommodate the real world it will just happen outside of the system in an unmanaged way.

So those are my quick reactions to Oleg’s post, I hope you found it interesting. His post is worth reading if you haven’t already. But I get scared when I see the opportunity for things to go astray. And workflow and rules are a great candidate for bad things to happen. And this is from a self-admitted process weenie!

I had the chance to talk with … Bruce Boes and the team at Siemens PLM Solutions about their Teamcenter Express offering for small to midsize manufacturers. The Express solution is a a part of what Siemens calls “The Velocity Series,” which is a full PLM offering for the small to mid-size business (SMB). The Velocity Series includes complements to Teamcenter Express that supports computer aided design (CAD, SolidEdge), computer aided analysis (CAE, FEMAP), and computer aided manufacturing (CAM, CAM Express). Teamcenter Express, either as a part of this suite or on its own, provides the base PLM capabilities, primarily collaborative product data management (CPDM).

What do they Offer?
Siemens is well known in PLM circles for their Teamcenter solution. Teamcenter, going all the way back to in history to one of the original PDM solutions, Metaphase, is a very robust and mature PLM offering. The solution is in place in many of the largest manufacturers in the world, and offers a very broad range of PLM capabilities. The full Teamcenter solution, however, is probably more than most mid-sized manufacturers need. This is where Siemens brings in Teamcenter Express. The solution provides a pre-configured environment of Teamcenter that handles product data vaulting and pre-configured workflows for engineering change management and release to manufacturing. These two processes are the basics of getting product data under control, and are typically very challenging processes. They are also processes that PLM is very well suited to improve.

In addition to the basics, Teamcenter Express can also provide version control, project management, collaboration, reporting and CAD integration(specifically to Pro/Engineer, Catia V5, Inventor, Solid Edge, and NX). The solution, built on Microsoft technologies, is intended to be easy to implement and support for smaller businesses. At the same time, Siemens points out that it is fully upgradeable to the full Teamcenter solution should the manufacturer grow or want to step up to a more full PLM solution.

Who do they Work With?
The Teamcenter Express solution is specifically aimed at the small to mid-size business (SMB) in the manufacturing industries. Unlike the full Teamcenter solution, Teamcenter Express is built to the needs of the general manufacturer (typically a supplier in a larger supply chain, but potentially a smaller OEM). There are no industry-specific solutions as you would find in full Teamcenter. In this way, Siemens is keeping the solution simple and to the point.

How does this Fit into the Ecosystem?
This solution helps smaller companies adopt PLM. Based on the same capabilities that larger companies use, it is a pre-configured version that is simpler to implement and provides basic workflows out of the box. At the same time, the manufacturer using Teamcenter Express is not limited in their future PLM vision, because they can choose to upgrade to Teamcenter if they choose with what is described as a relatively easy transition. It’s a unique approach, and one we will certainly keep an eye on over time.

Teamcenter Express also fits into the greater enterprise systems ecosystem, with integration available for both Microsoft Dynamics and SAP ERP solutions.

So that’s what I hear from the Velocity Team at Siemens, I hope you found it useful. What do you think? What else should I have asked them?