Revisiting the top 10 questions to PLM vendors when evaluating and selecting PLM platforms—based on a CIMdata publication from 2010.
Ten years ago, CIMdata authored a whitepaper set out to describe 10 critical questions—often overlooked or glossed over—to ask PLM solution suppliers, a.k.a. platform editors, when performing a platform evaluation and selection program. Looking back at these now, they still appear as no-nonsense questions. They focused on core PLM capability enablement and “how” to implement these in the context of cross-discipline collaboration. The research paper was sponsored by PTC, hence it is not surprising to also find another interesting whitepaper published by PTC with in-line responses to the same 10 questions.
In this article, the relevance of these 10 critical questions is discussed today, including how they align to the current state of the art in the industry and which questions might be substituted, revisited or superseded.
PLM is discussed as an enterprise practice and enterprise platform, not only the IT tool that it is often reduced to. It is important to note that the purpose of the original questions was clearly described by CIMdata in terms of importance and evaluation of the response, focusing on “what you need to know to make an informed decision.”
Original CIMdata Questions from 10 Years Ago, and Their Relevance Today
These were the original questions as published by CIMdata—in no particular order—focusing on MCAD-ECAD models, software, mechatronics integration, etc., which also reached out into supply chain and enterprise collaboration requirements:
1. How do you support multi-Mechanical CAD design and change management across distributed environments?
CAD is still a core element of digital engineering and manufacturing. Most modern PLM solutions support multi-CAD out-of-the-box with different levels of CAD-PDM integration.
2. How do you support integrated MCAD, ECAD, software design and configuration management (i.e., how do you support mechatronics)?
Integrating multiple disciplines under a common framework is what PLM is about—allowing for product modularity, change and configuration management based on engineering, manufacturing and customer requirements. With the rise of software, apps and embedded systems, there is relevance of positioning this question in the context of hardware and software integration, especially as they follow quite different lifecycles and change processes.
3. How can your solution enable the standardization of our business processes, as well as the replacement and/or consolidation of our business and IT applications?
This question might invite a marketing-led response that is perhaps relevant for organizations questioning the value of PLM or too quickly making the link to the IT system behind the discipline. This question could certainly be rephrased in the context of IT modernization, data continuity, master data management and enterprise architecture data consolidation.
4. How can your solution grow with our business from a basic PLM implementation to enable more advanced PLM capabilities?
If the question was about a forward-looking view and vision from the PLM vendor, it clearly misses the possible link and connectivity with ERP, MES and other enterprise disciplines and platforms. This question should cover future capabilities or integrations and associated development roadmaps in which new value can be created, including the rise of cloud and associated SaaS modernization.
5. What best practices are supported within your out-of-the-box solution that helps meet our specific business needs?
Good practice is perhaps not to assume that “best practice” is one-size-fits-all. Hence, value comes from having a flexible-yet-holistic “ready-made” solution to accelerate personalization and adoption.
6. How do you support secure collaboration within our enterprise and across our supply chain?
Supply chain connectivity is still a relevant topic nowadays, however, it is not being overlooked or glossed over anymore.
7. Are all of your PLM applications on the same architecture, data model and standards (and which are they)?
Integration within a vendor platform and across apps, and associated standards, is an essential question. This question perhaps underlines the fact that a number of acquisitions and tools from given vendors might be less integrated than others. Hence, there is a need to understand development roadmaps and integration strategies from vendors.
8. What tools are available and/or needed to configure and extend your solutions’ data model, user interface, capabilities, workflow, etc.?
App configuration and customization capabilities, flexibility and implications are critical to platform evaluation and selection.
9. How can the proposed PLM solution be integrated within our current business systems and processes?
Integration within and across platforms and apps, and associated standards, is an essential question. ERP, MES and other platforms can be integrated and customized as required. It is customized as required with out-of-the-box integration connectors and bridges.
10. How does your architecture scale to meet changing business needs?
With such a question, it can be difficult to read beyond the marketing value proposition and associated jargon. It is important to dive into specific storyboards or use cases to assess potential scalability.
10 Years Later: Revisiting the 10 Critical Questions for PLM Vendors
In the current manufacturing outlook, also based on the PLM and enterprise digitalization industry, it is important to widen the scope of the assessment when evaluating and selecting PLM solutions for both industry process and technical platform capabilities.
Here are 10 revisited critical questions for PLM vendors:
- How does your PLM strategy and platform align beyond modern PDM-CAD requirements, expanding into enterprise capabilities beyond the design office and factory data flow?
- How does your solution support integrated disciplines, such as model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and model-based engineering (MBE), including the alignment with application/software lifecycle management?
- How can your solution enable the standardization of our business processes, as well as the replacement and/or consolidation of our business capabilities, contributing to enterprise master data optimization and IT modernization?
- How can your solution be gradually adopted across our business, leveraging cloud and SaaS infrastructure and enabling enterprise collaboration, data access and security control, and with which business and pricing model?
- Is your solution pre-configured or adapted to a given industry, and how much adaptation can be performed without compromising its out-of-the-box integrity? (providing the list of relevant industry-based storyboards and use cases)
- How is legacy data to be migrated to and from your solution, and what are the tools available to ease and tailor such requirements? (referring to specific legacy platform connectors if needed)
- What is your solution enterprise architecture, aligning process and technical elements, and how does it align to other mainstream platforms across PLM, ERP and MES from a master data perspective?
- What platform and app tools are available and/or needed to configure and extend your solutions’ data model, user interface, capabilities, workflow, etc.?
- What third-party elements (apps, connectors, etc.) are required or recommended to enable the relevant level of integration or data continuity?
- How is your solution architected to allow for gradual deployment, and what are the logical steps, data, people and business dependencies to mitigate adoption risks and avoid business value erosion?
The marketing jargon from the above questions—from digital twins to digital thread, Industry 4.0, etc.—were purposely kept aside as they do not add much value when assessing PLM and other enterprise solutions unless an organization purposely decides to use these words for their internal transformation communication and branding.
It would be interesting to hear PTC’s latest views on the revisited questions, especially whether or not these are perceived as the critical “Top 10” following a decade of PLM evolution. As a matter of fact, PLM and alike digital platforms have come a long way in integrating many disciplines under the same umbrella, growing into other manufacturing industries, and leveraging IT modernization and new enterprise architectures.
What are your thoughts?
References:
· PTC Response: CIMdata 10 Questions to Ask PLM Solution Suppliers (no original link found on PTC website, hence this third-party reference)
