PLM Implementation and server Deployment Plan

v  Deploy and Configure PLM tool in Development Server soon after 1st level requirement collection completed with client
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v  Configure all the requirements Offsite work - do test, Demo, get feedback by clients  and changes, and sign-off
v  Start Deploy the phase1 build in UAT (Test Server)Server and allow user to work & test

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v  Start Phase 2 activities & requirement collection 

v  Configure all the requirements Offsite work - test, Demo, feedback and changes, Trainings and sign-off

v  Start Deploy the phase2 build in UAT Server and allow for user to work

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v  Start Phase 3 activities & requirement collection over

v  Configure all the requirements Offsite work - test, Demo, feedback and changes, Trainings and sign-off

v  Start Deploy the phase3 build in UAT Server and allow for user to work

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v  Start Production Server configuration

v  Deploy all the phase builds in Production Server and one round of test

v  Test, Demo, feedback and small changes, Trainings and sign-off – Handhold support 

Change Management Process - PLM view

Change Management Process:

The methodology to manage the changes in the product configurations during its lifecycle process

Ensuring:

·       Standard process

·       Controllability, Traceability

·       Completeness

·       Validity

·       Approval

Managing change is critical to controlling product evolution and product configurations

We need changes to fix things & to improve things & for many other reasons as well Configurations management is the framework in which changes

takes place

Changes come from internal as well external sources

Change Management begins at the start of product lifecycle and continuous throughout lifecycle

Changes need to be managed & tracked from start to finish

Key change Concepts:

Encourage change

               Keep changes small and simple to minimize required approvals and time lags

3 steps – change request, change order, change notification

               Consider adding problem report, in the beginning to allow anyone relevant, including customers and suppliers to submit issues

Lead the process with the documentation – What the change is intended to accomplish, why, how, cost

Why Change Management Process?

•             Changes pushed out without proper authorization

•             Not all changes are being followed

•             Starting point not established or not being updated

•             The right people are not involved in the change process

•             Full impact of change unknown first time around

•             Through change evaluation not being done

•             Controllability is weak

•             Change process takes too long

•             Metrics not being tracked or reported

•             Personal working on wrong information

Change process failure:

Change is too tight controlled during WIP

               Data is left vulnerable, outside control of the PDM vault

               People workaround processes

All the changes are traced equally

               Process is delayed due to over complicated

Different level of changes should receive different levels of control and sign off – more complicated or costly – more control

The process is not closed Loop:

               The person who requested needs to know it was resolved

               Other people need to be notified as well

Changes are not always tracked against all of the data they impact, such as labeling, artwork, and packing

               Change is incomplete

Change process is complicated when external partners have to be involved in decision making

               Fail to gain complete understanding of change impact

               Companies do not provide external partners enough access

Determining the cost of a change is often difficult – many times people lack access to cost data

               Changes delayed due to fear of costly mistake

               Changes undertaken without understanding the lifecycle cost

Key control Points;

•             The review and disposition (approval or disapproval) of each enterprise change request (ECR)

•             Planning and implementation of approved ECRs

•             Validation of new and revised information to be released

•             Work authorization allows the use of changed data

Best Practices:

•    Change is managed proactively within the product development environment  Multiple changes are encouraged early in the product lifecycle where they are very inexpensive

Changes are managed so that the true impact of change is always well understood (implies access to product data include cost, inventory)

•     Incomplete but accurate product design data is valuable to supply chain processes

Productive work can be done on product and process definition information that are accurate but not complete

Retaining definition information until the design is complete reduces the enterprise agility (restricted access) 

•      Owners of data are identified as responsible for changes to that data
All product and process definition information has owners who are responsible for understanding the impact of change on the data elements they own

       Owners must understand how their data elements are related to other product definition information

•   Users or owners of the item being changes should approve, not a manager

•   More than 3 or 4 approves are typically not necessary

               Typically,

once key approvers sign off, everyone else follows along anyway

               If people

feel the need to know what is happening, use notifications

•   Product changes must be communicated throughout enterprise and to extend enterprise participants as required

Proposed and approved changes are communicated at the right time, to the right people, where they are located

•    Take holistic approach to change management – allowing you to better understand the impact of change in all forms

               Implement a PLM solution that manages the BOM at its core

               Provide access to external information (eg: cost) via PLM interface

•     View change management as part of comprehensive configuration management activity                        Supporting technologies are not good if they are not used within the proper process environment

PLM for change Management

•             PLM provides one master Bill of information – BOI

A physical information structure with the multiple logical

views such as as-designed, as-planned, as-assembled, as-delivered, as-maintained

•             This master BOI is managed by one system and it feeds product configuration info to all other systems

               It is the system record

•             It is the source for information critical to assessing change impact

•             PLM can proactively warn of problems & delays in change processes

               Provide metric to gauge success

•             PLM workflows control & assure process adherence

               Can support both fast track and normal track versions of workflows

               Streamline change processes and sign offs

•             PLM provides visibility to product process change info so that it can be managed strategically during all the phases of the lifecycles, thereby reducing the total costs of change

•             PLM supports visual collaboration during the product change, with visualization and virtual meeting technology

•             PLM provide tractability

The goal is to achieve end item traceability on all the changes without compromising the rules of interchangeability and to do so cost effectivity

•             PLM integrated with ERP and pother systems to provide access to other data (cost, inventory...)

Concluding Remarks:

• Embrace & encourage change – changes help make better products
• Learn about PLM – understand how it can support change processes
• Understand your change process and business rules when implementing PLM
• Use PLM workflows to drive consistence change processes
• Track change problems & other metrics via PLM

Reference:
CIMData session and hands on experience

Thanks,
Anil

PLM & ERP Integration Opportunity & Experience

Most of the organizations use ERP processes, such software , ERP practices since old age days and PLM is buzz word recently making some mark around the world in the engineering industries,
 CAD, Drawings, GD&T, Tooling & Processes drawings, Reference Documents, other tech specifications, Releases, EBOM, ECR and ECO, Approvals, Rejections, workflows, shared data, versions, revisions etc. these are all the terminologies we hear regularly in PDM/PLM domain. Few PLM projects will get an opportunities to integrate some thing about after Design Stage complete.
The PLM methodology setup will also be mainly depend on these after design sessions. Most of the productivity driven processes will happen after Design Stage completes, and in Production time. These processes will impact the Design Phase and need to setup the robust and effective processes in PLM/PDM implementation before.
 
I just like to list out some of the important Production phase related processes, which I got to  know in one of my PLM implementation assignments at core end to end Manufacturing organization. These processes really drives the Design phase productivity improvement while using PLM.
Now everybody speaks and latest trends in manufacturing are Lean, Extreme, SMART and IoT in manufacturing, to enable all these, we need a strong starter like PDM & PLM with ERP & SCM tools and software capability of managing end to end Project by connecting all IoT layers on one platform. All these strategic software layers will connects each, one another way since the beginning of the Product development.
 To reach organizations' vision, face global competition and adapting changing technology trend, creates tremendous responsibility over setting up the PDM, PLM, ERP practices. In view of all the above points, I just want to highlight few of the ERP, SCM and CRM areas to consider while implementing PLM.
Usually all the product innovations starts form R&D and critical input is form Marketing feedback and continuous improvements and innovations at R&D. Also most Project starts as per the customers' requirements trend in view of the  cost, quality, demand of the Product and competitors Products in mind.
Most of the time Product development goes as per New inputs nPI  , existing product Improvements ATO, customer requirements driven product MTO, ETO etc.
Project Management software captures the different product development classes and respective phase wise activities and one can realize and foresee the  the final product virtually in view of its risks, lead time, cost, quality plans, releases, launch etc.
In the PLM implementation practices, processes should be established as per various strategies like ETO, MTO, new Product Introduction or existing product Improvements, customer requirements driven product etc. Few such points are very important form ERP, SCM point of view,

1. Avoid legacy data migration in PLM just for data storage purposes, there ins no valve in storing old format and process data in new PLM
2. Naming Logic for Parts/Items/Components, need to consider how it is already running in ERP Items, If it is fully new Implementation of PLM and ERP then better to to non-intelligent numbering logic,
3. We can adapt semi intelligent naming logic for identifying parts, assemblies, standard parts etc. so that any legacy ERP number to PLM number migration will be easy.
4. Use Legacy numbering info in PLM Parts info for certain period of time to make out the old references and processes quickly
5. Work to Build strong bidirectional PLM ERP integration, such that minimum critical info to exchange bidirectional like units wise stock info form ERP to PLM, component and BOM Effectivity date from ERP to PLM for handling ECR & ECO, helps to follow JIT.
6. Establish Drawing viewing capability from ERP,
7. Release Models and Drawings and auto generation of IGES or STEP  and PDF format drawings sot hat Sourcing/Supplier engineer get the data quickly and securely
8. Build reports generation for various queries like  to differentiate Legacy & New, migrated parts etc.
9. Build quick ERP to PLM migration strategy with respect to effectivity date, running production orders etc. to change existing ERP items to PLM format so that uniformity will increase the process easiness 
10. Define Clear strategy to handle Tooling design and Processes drawings methodology along with PLM flow, sot hat R&D and tooling will work together to define processes and stage drawings as per the unit capacity
11. Provide scope in PLM to handle the early inspection once raw material procured, buy components reached Inventories
12. Configure tight notification in ECR and ECO review with all the cross functional teams such that Planning, purchase, Production, inventory in charges teams will be aware of next changes in the component and prepare for quick execution.
13. PLM and ERP relationship engineer should be defined to coordinate all the PLM ERP wise and processes related activities and smooth integration
14. Proper validation check to be configured to sync PLM parts/BOM to ERP
15. Configure the PLM tool to control the processes and not the people engagement 
16. Don't mix up the Design Technical Information with ERP operation info in PLM by putting unnecessary attributes in PLM to feed ERP systems, like RAW material codes, Sales info, financial info, FG level sales technical info etc.

Welcoming your comments to know more things better way.
Thanks,
Anil

Best Practices of eBOM and CAD management

Today’s trend in manufacturing is customization of product; this is a big challenge for manufacturing companies. It is very flexible and good to deal the things in mass-production companies, when the target is to produce large number of items with predefined configurations. Today, clients are thinking on how to customize, reuse, and quick complete everything. Companies dealing with ETO type of business are facing similar challenges.

Effective Bill of Materials management system can address this challenge. If company have flexible BOM management system allowing manipulating BOM structures and integrated with ERP environment, few of below points are on the best way of handling BOM along with CAD

1.       Modular BOM management: The plan of modularization is to create a set of modules /sub-assemblies that one can manipulate in order to create a final product
2.       Create your modular bills and create a planning bill for a specific product. This one will allow you to roll out cost and delivery time for a specific product order.
3.       Identify part families or type of items like standard part (fasteners), engineering parts, processes components (Casting, machining to complete FG), consumable items etc. along with the Item fit to various configurations
4.       Making Effective re-usability of items as per customer requirements queries & search
5.       Keep the practice of both hybrid way bottom up and top down approaches depending on the organization business, product structure driven from CAD data vice versa
6.       Keep use Top down bom approach from product structure driven for complex products along with concurrent design work 
7.       Configure and build to generate various quick reports of BOM, As per effectivity date, Vendor list report
8.       Make practice of Revising CAD only
9.       Make proper CAD attributes mapping with part info
10.   Strong and effective Design review Processes to adapt form early phase of designs once preliminary BOM built
11.    Include all reference documents, specifications to BOM parts
12.   Filtering BOMs can be configured as built, as designed and As released

CAD Data management best practices

1.       Recommended not to have same numbering for Part and CAD Doc as both the life-cycles are different
2.       Have controlled versioning of CAD data,
3.       Map and Built Part and Drawing templates
4.       Work with common settings in collaborative environment, like libraries, templates, settings are same for all CAD users
5.       Controlled Release process of  CAD and go with preliminary reviews
6.       Building Bottom up approaches recommended
7.       Have robust design reviews cross functionally
8.       Flexible processes to accommodate changes  with timely notifications in  Design changes
9.       Practice of Concurrent design and Design in context method
10.   Make a secured and shared one product wise repository to save the cad
11.   Build CAD data as per design practices and parametric modeling

Reference:
Few of PLM blogs, and hands on experience

Managing the PLM/ERP Implementation

Possibly the most important issue in ensuring the success of enterprise systems is that of managing change effectively. Such systems introduce massive changes in terms of procedures and practices that the firm’s employees are used to. Large systemic changes pose a threat and raise the levels of anxiety in the firm. Figure depicts some of these issues.

Job roles are changed and redefined, the employees are trained for using the system in a manner that suits the new processes rather than what the employees were comfortable with, and the flexibility that they enjoyed, in many cases, is replaced by a rigid process.

Change management entails training staff in the new procedures, creating new teams, defining new tasks, creating new reporting relationships, and creating a new culture in which employees will work. This requires careful and sensitive handling of involved employees, right from the start of the project. Key employees from departments and groups have to be recruited for guiding the system’s implementation, and they have to be encouraged to participate freely rather than resist the system.

Although change is not easily accepted, it is achieved after employees begin to see the visible benefits of the system through reduced workloads or through the effective use of the system. The management has to tread carefully and nurture this change when it becomes visible.

The second most important criterion for the successful implementation of an enterprise system is that of the top management support. Almost all the successful cases of PLM/ERP deployments show that the top management was deeply committed to the project and supported it all through the implementation steps. The top management has to be involved from the start and stay with the project management team right through the duration of the project. They should openly take responsibility for the success of the system and announce rewards and incentives for its successful operation.

The top management is also the key ingredient for change management. Their acceptance, support, and encouragement of change make possible the creation of new cultural norms and business practices. In several large and successful PLM/ERP roll-outs, the top management spent much time talking about the project to employees, participated in meetings and training workshops, wrote on personal web pages and e-mails to staff, and spoke to news media about the project. They created a positive environment for the new system and celebrated its success.

Controlling costs is the other critical issue in ensuring the success of the enterprise system implementations. The costs of implementing and running an PLM/ERP system , depending on the size of the company.

Of the many items that managers usually underestimate, training of staff and personnel is the most frequent. Since almost all employees of the firm are affected and have to learn the new system, this cost grows as people realize the challenges of entering and using data that affects many others in the firm, and demand more help and training. 

Another area of increased costs is Customization of the package. As the implementation proceeds, many firms realize that the changes in processes being demanded are not possible or difficult and then they resort to customization, which requires extra work from the vendor and hence extra costs. Customization also leads to further demands on testing and integration, which also add to the cost. Other areas that add to increased costs are data conversion and migration (from old formats to the formats required by the system); costs of consultants who are hired to solve specific and hard problems; costs of time lost by the best employees in helping with the new system rather than working on their own tasks; and the loss in productivity immediately after an implementation as employees have to work with an entirely new system.

Project Management and Vendor selection are also key issues for the success of the project. Project management entails that the management and the implementation team have to keep a sharp tab on the deadlines and milestones. If these are missed, it is certain that later milestones will also be missed. Delayed implementations cause loss of morale and a poor image with all stakeholders. Key to the success of the project is the implementation partners. Few firms have internal skills to manage an enterprise system implementation on their own. They invariably rely on the vendor to do the implementation or a third party, who act as consultants. The selection of this partner is very important as the partner needs to have the necessary skills, experience, and a cost structure that matches the expectations of the client firm. There are many examples of lawsuits against implementation consultants by clients as the project went sour or failed totally and wasted millions of dollars.

Reference:  MBA course material

Best Regards,

Anil