What I learned this week … is that it is time for me to update the sources where I learn about product innovation, product development, engineering, and manufacturing – and the software that supports it (PLM, etc.). 
So I thought I would look for suggestions. I have always believed that everybody should have more than one source for information, and so I try to make sure to learn from others and share my thoughts. That is why I chose to focus one-third of my blog posts on “What I Learned,” because if I am not learning then I will just regurgitate the same old stuff. I know blogs like that, they get tiring. My approach? “Two ears and one mouth.”
Places to Learn
Given my role as an analyst and researcher, I get a lot of opportunities to learn:
- Manufacturers – obviously I like to hear about the way technology is working in the field, and how it is helping improve a real manufacturing business. I also like to hear about future strategies that manufacturers are putting in place.
- Bloggers – I find that blogs are a great feed of information with opinions. Different bloggers have different levels of credibility, so I take what I read in light of who I hear it from.
- Print Magazines – I have to admit, I like the feel of the paper, but there are fewer of these around. I typically get news feeds from their web sites or blogs.
- Conferences – I love to hear what people have to say in public, and then ask them some questions offline. Very interesting to hear how the “party line” and the “real story” meet up.
- Other Analysts – I like to share ideas and discuss with other analyst firms. I don’t see them as competitors as much as colleagues. This is why I try to include others’ research in my “Research Rap” posts as well as my own. I should probably read more of their printed works, but I am always concerned that they would feel I am stealing their ideas. I don’t think most really feel that way, and I know many that read my work. I should rethink this one.
- Vendors – I believe that most vendors I speak to have deep knowledge and passion about the industries they serve. I love to hear their views on the market, where they think the future of PLM and manufacturing software will be, and how they plan to support it. I respect vendors’ opinions, although of course I realize that they have multiple motives when talking to an analyst.
Your Turn
OK, that is where I turn to you. What I would love to hear from you (via comment here or direct message) is:
- What other sources should I be paying attention to?
- Which people/companies in the above categories should I be listening to?
So those are my thoughts on getting educated on PLM, I hope you found it interesting. I welcome your help.
I recall from my History of Science class many years ago that many big advances are made by young people or those that are new to the field (e.g. person switching from chemistry to physics).
So, I think it is good to listen to what is going on outside of the PLM domain. Gaming is an example which has a surprising number of common technologies with PLM. The whole social media thing is another – what new ideas here are going to influence new ideas for PLM. I’m sure there are others.
BTW, just to chime in from the vendor passion comment, you are right. I’m here because after 8 years on the manufacturing side, I wanted to be more involved with the future of PLM. I’m sure there are a number of people with similar stories from all the PLM companies. They are great people to talk to if you can get them out of the marketing/sales/PR mode.
Mark
Jim, Great question! I think PLM needs to listen to potential customers and lost opportunities. The second place for me is to see how “non-PLM” vendors are selling to the same place. After you go to current customers and current competitors. Also, think about future competitors… Some of my additional thoughts on the same topic are here – http://plmtwine.com/2010/01/17/how-plm-vendors-can-listen-to-competitors/… Best, Oleg
Hi Jim,
I’d like to add a couple things in a couple different directions. In my courses on competitive intelligence, they say that you should listen to people seen by the mainstream as being on the “fringe”. While sometimes they are indeed CRAZY, they often are saying things that threaten the status quo.
The other point has to do with research by analysts on who decision makers listen to. Sadly for analysts, they do not usually rate highly (although their rating improves as company size improves). Decision makers listen more to peers, through professional relationships and the like. AMR used to regularly ask the question but stopped a few years ago (maybe they saw their low rating – just a guess). Forrester did the most interesting work in this regard in the last year or so.
Burhops’ comment probably refers to, in part, Derek de Solla Price, who did some really good work in this area. Lots of great stuff that has implications for PLM.
Ciao for now…
Stan
Mark,
I love your analogy about learning from other domains. One of the things that I realize is that most of my analyst colleagues have engineering software / CAD backgrounds. I come at PLM from an enterprise systems / manufacturing systems perspective. I find my different background often gives me a different perspective than others. For example, I have worked with ERP and supply chain systems, so dealing with issues like product compliance/manufacturing execution/costing/supplier management/service management are all very closely aligned with my background. Of course, I can’t hold a candle to others when it comes to the details of CAD/CAE/etc. I have seen many trends from other enterprise systems enter PLM. Now, I think PLM has an opportunity to be on the forefront of things like social computing!
Of course you do a bit of blogging yourself, so we can learn from you as well.
Nice to hear from you Mark!
Stan,
Thanks for your comments. I had a colleague (Olin Thompson) that I did some seminars with. He had what he called a “credibility matrix” that had two dimensions. If I recall it correctly, one dimension was the messenger, and the other the message medium. In his matrix, the most credible was a customer publishing their real-world experience in a formal setting (NY Times, for example). Very high on the list was a credible, 3rd party recounting customer experiences. This is one of the reasons why I focus my Tech-Clarity Perspectives on interviews with manufacturers. It is also why I think the most valuable thing the “big analysts” offer is their interactions with their manufacturing clients. I know you are wondering what the lowest credibility was on the matrix – it was a sales person communicating via spoken word. Sad but true.
Would love to hear more about Derek de Solla Price has to say. I will Google to see what I can find, or feel free to post back a relevant link if you have one.
Thanks,
Jim
Oleg,
I was thinking more about how manufacturers and researchers can learn about PLM, but I certainly agree that vendors need to learn too! Customers are their best ally, but they have to make sure to have strategic conversations with business leaders and not get sucked into doing only minor usability enhancements and miss a big trend (like social computing).
Good conversations going on at PLM Twine / Daily PLM Think Tank, thanks.
Jim
There are some good links to his stuff on Wikipedia…
Hi Jim,
We also need to look at educatinal institues.Their are already some universities offering courses in PLM and lot more are coming up.
Also it also helps reading about how implementations work in other domains like ERP/CRM
Enjoy,
Prashant