Tech-Clarity’s Jim Brown will present with Ken Klapproth, Director of Product Management for IHS Product Design on a webcast discussing the business value and ROI of knowledge enabled decision making for R&D, product development, and engineering. Jim will share some findings from his upcoming white paper Tech-Clarity Insight: The Business Value of Knowledge-Enabled Decision-Making. …
- Introducing the Issue
- Start with the Business in Mind
- Choose a Problem to Solve
- Identify the Roles PLM and other Systems Play
- Determine how PLM and other Systems will Interact
- Understand the Evolution of Cloud Integration
- Get Started
- Address IT Considerations
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
Introducing the Issue
Manufacturers today face increased expectations for rapid innovation while battling unprecedented product development complexity. This has driven a lot of interest in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), including cloud-based PLM. Like more established cloud Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and supply chain offerings, cloud PLM is generating a lot of discussion. Why? The promise that the business benefits of PLM – increased revenue, decreased product cost, and reduced product development cost – can be achieved with lower investment. Tech-Clarity’s Assessing the Cloud PLM Opportunity explains that the cloud offers the potential to significantly improve PLM value by:- Leveraging economies of scale
- Eliminating non-value added work
- Taking advantage of cloud level systems performance
- Enhancing flexibility and agility while reducing business risk
- What should I integrate with PLM?
- Which solutions are responsible for which data?
- What level of integration do I need? Data only? Process? Bi-directional?
- Can I integrate cloud applications to the ones behind my firewall?
- What new integration considerations do cloud applications bring?
- Can I take advantage of cloud business benefits in integration?
- Simon Floyd, Microsoft
- Ken Amman, CIMdata
- Bill McClure, Siemens PLM
- Jim Brown, Tech-Clarity (yours truly)
Table of Contents
- Introducing the Issue
- Increasing Challenge of Engineering Decisions
- Addressing The Product Information Challenge / Opportunity
- Enabling Engineers to Make Timely, Optimal Decisions
- Taking it to the Next Level - Supporting NPD
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
Introducing the Issue
Making poor product or portfolio decisions can lead to devastating impacts on fiscal performance, Likewise, making a poor engineering decision during product development can lead to catastrophic consequences. But truth be told, most decisions an engineer makes on a daily basis don’t have life or death implications. In fact, no one decision will probably be the difference between product success and failure. The combined impact of all of the decisions required to develop even a simple product, however, has a significant impact on the performance, quality, reliability, cost, compliance – and ultimately profitability – of a product. Engineering is essentially applying knowledge and science to create solutions to problems. In product development this means making decisions to address a set of requirements or needs. Engineers make thousands of decisions in product development, from big ones down to the small, everyday ones. For example, an engineering leader from GM explained at a recent conference that developing an automobile is a process consisting of over 25,000 decisions. Each of these decisions is important on its own, but more importantly the decisions are inter-related and decisions made early in product development can have a dramatic impact downstream. Given the important role of engineering decision-making in product development, manufacturers should treat it as a core competency. Manufacturers must enable decision-makers to make better, more confident decisions. They should also enable engineers to make decisions efficiently and get them right the first time to optimize product development time, reduce time-consuming design rework, and improve time to market. Optimizing engineering decisions is ultimately about driving greater success and profitability of products. Improving decision-making is even more important today as engineers face unprecedented complexity in product development. At the same time, competition is much more global and competitive advantages are easier to copy. What was a “good enough” decision ten or fifteen years ago will not suffice today. The bar has been raised. Companies are targeting “right the first time” decision-making to make more optimal, confident decisions based on better information. The engineering decision-making processes and tools of over a decade ago will not suffice either – they must evolve to enable data-driven decisions to optimize product designs. [post_title] => Improving Engineering Decision-Making with PLM [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => product-decisions [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-11-14 22:27:29 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-11-15 03:27:29 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://tech-clarity.com/?p=2691 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 1 [filter] => raw ) [5] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2710 [post_author] => 2 [post_date] => 2012-09-20 18:04:43 [post_date_gmt] => 2012-09-20 22:04:43 [post_content] =>From Oleg posting about PLM Edutainment to this post and podcast interview by Kenneth Wong of Desktop Engineering. My thanks go out to those that believe in what we are doing.
By the way, I wonder if that picture of us on the set is me showing Chad the size of the wad of wasabi he will be brushing his teeth with?
- Challenges organizations face in the design of complex systems across multiple development stages including requirements, models, verification, validation and test.
- Examples of companies which have adopted a holistic, multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to development in order to effectively design and maintain software-intensive automotive systems.
The Embedded Software Imperative
Tech-Clarity research shows that manufacturers have grown the amount of software in their products, the importance of product software, and the level of innovation driven by software over the last five years. This trend drives greater demand for embedded software development, resulting in almost three-quarters of manufacturers increasing the ratio of software engineers to other engineers. The increased prevalence, strategic importance, and resulting complexity demand that manufacturers become world-class software development and delivery companies. Tech-Clarity offers the following ten tips to help companies overcome these challenges by streamlining product development using systems engineering best practices:- Integrate and Collaborate
- Keep Requirements in Focus
- Define and Optimize the Architecture
- Align with Agile as Applicable
- Reuse Intelligently
- Model to Understand and Collaborate
- Proactively Manage Change
- Formalize Repeatable Processes
- Enable Visibility and Traceability
- Validate and Verify Early
Table of Contents
- Executive Overview
- Strategies to Differentiate, Customize, Globalize
- Challenges and Performance Priorities
- Identifying the Top Performers
- Strategies of the Top Performers
- Best Practices used by the Top Performers
- Enabling Top Design and Development Performance
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
- About the Research
Executive Overview
Industrial equipment companies struggle to differentiate themselves in today’s highly competitive, global markets. This report investigates the business strategies, approaches, challenges, processes, and technologies these companies employ and how they impact financial performance. The goal of the research is to identify and share best practices that drive better product profitability. The results are based on 378 online survey responses from manufacturers around the globe that compete in the industrial equipment market. Analysis of the responses shows that the global economic recovery has helped industrial equipment companies economically. In fact, the companies responding to this survey have, on average, effectively grown revenue and profit margins over the last two years. Some industrial equipment manufacturers, however, have taken significantly more advantage of the recovery. These companies, the “Top Performers,” have:- Grown revenue 2.2 times more than average
- Increased profit margins 2.4 times more than average
- Modular design approaches
- Platform design techniques
- Rules-based design approaches
- Simulation tools
- Product configurators or design automation
- Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
- Factory layout / simulation tools
The Systems Engineering Imperative
Tech-Clarity research shows that manufacturers have grown the amount of software in their products, the importance of product software, and the level of innovation driven by software over the last five years. Products that combine mechanical, electrical, and software are compelling, but add tremendous product development complexity leading to quality issues, poor productivity, and delayed time to market. Tech-Clarity offers the following ten tips to help companies overcome these challenges by streamlining product development using systems engineering best practices:- Start with Requirements
- Take Time for Conceptual Design
- Optimize the Architecture
- Reuse at all Levels of Design
- Simulate the System
- Manage Change
- True Transparency
- Track and Trace it All
- Validate and Verify with the V
- Manage Configurations Continuously
Table of Contents
- Introducing the Issue
- Create a Realistic Portfolio Plan
- Roadmap Product to Launch Window Relationships
- Create Detailed Project Plans
- Recognize and Account for Risk
- Execute
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
Introducing the Issue
Tech-Clarity research shows that reducing time to market is a high priority for companies targeting product development performance and profitability improvements. Speed is critical because the winner of the product development race can take advantage of premium pricing, higher profit margins, and a jump on the competition to lock in market share. On the other hand, the impact of delayed time to market can be significant, for example:- A pharmaceutical company may lose $1 million per day a launch is late
- Government contractors missing milestones may forgo incentives and face penalties
- Industrial products companies can miss customer commitments and expectations
- A confectionary company missing the Easter season faces significant bottom-line impact
- A high-tech company delaying release beyond an important trade show or investor conference can damage their brand and be punished by investors
- A toy company missing the Christmas season faces a huge lost opportunity
- A high fashion apparel company missing the Spring season is just not acceptable and will damage relationships with their retail partners
- Introducing the Issue
- Consolidate Upstream from Detailed Design
- Consolidate Downstream from Detailed Design
- Live with Supply Chain Realities (Multi-CAD)
- Leverage the Past (Legacy Designs)
- Understand the Bigger Picture
- Address the Pain (with a Little Help from IT)
- The Expanded ROI Model
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
- Introducing the Issue
- The Cloud Meets PLM
- Evaluating the Key Features and Benefits of Cloud Computing
- Leverage Economies of Scale
- Eliminate Non-Value Added Work
- Take Advantage of Cloud Level Systems Performance
- Enhance Flexibility and Agility, Reduce Business Risk
- Final Considerations
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
- Executive Overview
- 3D Product Communication: Operational View
- 3D Product Communication: Strategic View
- Improve Technical Documentation Efficiency
- Improve Engineering Efficiency
- Improve Documentation and Communication
- Improve Collaboration
- Improve Manufacturing
- Improve Service
- Get Started
- Extend the Business Value
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
- Introducing the Issue
- Why Social Business Collaboration Makes Sense
- Why Social Business Makes Sense for Product Development
- What will Socially Capable PLM Look Like?
- How Do We Get There?
- Social Software Goes PLM
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
- Lack of understanding and integration with product data
- Insufficient security and intellectual property (IP) protection
- Minimal support for managing business processes
- Lack of domain expertise
- Disconnection from the underlying context – the product
- Executive Overview
- Lean IT Overhead
- Reuse
- Collaboration
- Enabling the Bigger Product Development Picture
- The Corporate Advantage
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- About the Author
All Results for "All"
Integrating Cloud PLM
Issue in Focus: Integrating Cloud PLM: Considerations for Systems Integration in the Cloud offers advice and insight on the integration questions companies face as they explore the applicability of Cloud PLM for their business. The report discusses existing issues such as what to integrate and how to define roles for different systems. It also analyzes…
Webcast on how Leading Manufacturers Design Products
Please join Tech-Clarity and Autodesk on this webinar to share what leading companies do differently in design. Leading manufacturers start differentiating in engineering, according to results from a recent survey of industrial equipment manufacturers. “What really sets the top performers apart is how they go about designing products,” the results show according to Jim Brown….
Siemens PLM Data Management Expert Panel Summary
I was happy to be asked to sit on a panel focused on data management at Solid Edge University this year. I presented a keynote earlier in the day based on my recent survey on managing engineering data. Each of the panel members brought a different perspective. Panel members included: Simon Floyd, Microsoft Ken Amman,…
Improving Engineering Decision-Making with PLM
Issue in Focus: Improving Engineering Decision-Making with PLM – Better Products through Information-Driven Decisions discusses the importance of enabling engineers and product developers to make informed decisions when developing products. The report discusses how PLM must provide efficient and rapid access to product information – in context – so engineers can make optimal, information-driven decisions…
Desktop Engineering Covers “Dualing Analysts” in Tech4PD
I have been truly touched to see how much support we have received from the industry on our new web show. There have been numerous tweets and posts about what Chad and I are trying to accomplish – start some serious debates about PLM and engineering software issues without taking ourselves to seriously. From Oleg…
Complexity of Automotive Systems Engineering Complexity Webinar
Please join Jim Brown of Tech-Clarity and Matt Klassen of PTC as they present on this Automotive News webinar, Managing the Sky-Rocketing Complexity of Automotive Systems Engineering. As complexity skyrockets, car and subsystem manufacturers must rethink their software systems engineering approach. Attend to learn: Challenges organizations face in the design of complex systems across multiple…
SAP Extends 3D Tech Pubs with Right Hemisphere
See Jim Brown’s contributed article in Advantage for the Product Lifecycle, SAP Extends Technical Publishing to the Enterprise. The article explains the opportunity for manufacturers to improve their technical communications processes with solutions like Right Hemisphere, including Dassault System’s 3DVIA (Composer), Anark, PTC’s Arbortext, Cortona3D, Immersive Design, Lattice Technology, Quadrispace, and others. Beyond that, the…
A Ten Point Guide for Streamlining Real-time Embedded Software Development
Tech-Clarity Spotlight: A Ten Point Guide for Streamlining Real-time Embedded Software Development offers ten practical suggestions that companies can use to combat complexity and streamline embedded software development. Please enjoy the summary below, or click the report title above to download the full PDF for more details (free of charge, no registration required). Special thanks to…
IndustryWeek: Product Design Strategies Take Manufacturers to the Top
An article by Travis Hessman of IndustryWeek related to the recent industrial equipment survey report Best Practices for Developing Industrial Equipment by Jim Brown of Tech-Clarity. Quotes Jim and his research extensively and includes some insightful remarks from Ed Martin of Autodesk as well.
Best Practices for Developing Industrial Equipment
Tech-Clarity Perspective: Best Practices for Developing Industrial Equipment – Top Performers Drive Growth and Profitability with Advanced Design Practices and Enabling Technology explores best practices used by top performing industrial equipment manufacturers. The report shares insights from a survey of over 350 industrial equipment companies, and indicates what those that have most successfully grown their…
A Ten Point Guide for Streamlining Product Development with Systems Engineering
Tech-Clarity Spotlight: A Ten Point Guide for Streamlining Product Development with Systems Engineering offers ten practical suggestions that manufacturers can use to improve product development for the increasing number of products that rely on embedded software. Please enjoy the summary below, or click the report title above to download the full PDF for more details…
Meeting Fixed Product Launch Windows
Issue in Focus: Meeting Fixed Product Launch Windows – Managing Portfolios When Time to Market is Non-Negotiable discusses the importance of stepping up product portfolio management (PPM) and new product development (NPD) performance when companies have to hit product launch windows dictated by external factors such as holidays, important industry trade shows, high fashion seasons,…
Dr. Dobb’s Webcast – Ten Point Guide to Streamlining Product Development with Systems Engineering
Take a look at this webcast on Dr. Dobb’s to hear me discuss some tips on how manufacturers can use systems engineering best practices to improve product development. There is more embedded software in today’s products than ever – it’s time for manufacturers to learn how to take advantage of the opportunities it offers while…
Consolidating Design Software
Issue in Focus: Consolidating Design Software: Extending Value Beyond 3D CAD Consolidation discusses the value of consolidating on suites of engineering and design tools to take advantage of integration to increase efficiency, remove the need to translate CAD files, and maintain design intent throughout the design process. Please enjoy the free Executive Summary below, or…
Webcast on Meeting Inflexible Product Development Launch Windows
Please join us as Jim Brown presents his research on Product Portfolio Management (PPM) in this CGT webcast, How to Effectively Manage Your Product Portfolio to Consistently Hit Launch Windows. Please join the live event on August 16 or view the on-demand, recorded webcast at your convenience. Jim is joining Monica Alderson, Project Management Director…
Assessing the Cloud PLM Opportunity
Issue in Focus: Assessing the Cloud PLM Opportunity: Evaluating the Benefits, Requirements, and Considerations explores the opportunity to leverage cloud computing technology with PLM (Product Lifecycle Management). The paper is intended to help companies evauluating PLM in the cloud by sharing information and experiences from more mature cloud enterprise applications including CRM. Please enjoy the…
The Business of 3D Technical Communications: Evolving Strategies to Document Products
Tech-Clarity Insight: The Business of 3D Technical Communications: Evolving Strategies to Document Products explains how companies are changing their views on technical documentation to a more strategic approach, including the use of 3D to go beyond flat, static documents to incorporate richer, interactive, more realistic representation of products. Please enjoy the free Executive Summary below,…
Social Business Collaboration and the Product Lifecycle
Issue in Focus: Social Business Collaboration and the Product Lifecycle: Combining the Collaborative Power of Social Media with PLM explores the possibility that companies could adopt a social business collaboration platform to improve product development processes and add proven PLM capabilities as needed to establish a socially capable PLM system. Tech-Clarity believes that social product…
Consolidating CAD – Benefits of a Unified CAD Strategy
Tech-Clarity Insight: Consolidating CAD – Benefits of a Unified CAD Strategy examines the strategic and tactical value of standardizing on a single CAD package. The research papers provides a framework for determining the cost savings available from consolidating tools. Please enjoy the free Executive Summary below, or click the report title above to download the…