What is Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)?

define PLM as:

“A philosophy, process and discipline supported by software for managing

products through the stages of their life cycles, from concept through
retirement. As a discipline, it has grown from a mechanical design and
engineering focus to being applied to many different vertical-industry
product development challenges.”

More than simply software, PLM is a holistic approach to product

development. It incorporates every aspect of a product’s lifecycle – from
innovation through to repurposing, reuse and recycling.

PLM platforms are suites of connected software bringing together people,

processes and data, creating a seamless collaborative environment. And
making product creation simple, successful and sustainable.

But the platform itself is only a set of tools that support your teams in
their individual roles. When implementing PLM in your organization, each
of your teams should be prepared to take on an entirely new approach to
product development.

So, let’s break down each phase of a product’s lifecycle and see how PLM
supports, enables and enhances your teams’ performances.

What is the PLM Definition of a Product?

When we take the word ‘product’ separately from the rest, the question is:
what is a product? If we open the dictionary, we see that a product is
economically all that can be offered on the market to meet a demand.
This can be tangible, such as an item in a shop, but also a service.

Many think that PLM is only used within the car or aircraft industry.
However, PLM is widely used within many different industries.

One of our customers in the travel industry wanted to use PLM to improve
the configuration of travel. But we also have customers within the retail
sector, where PLM is indispensable for developing seasonal clothing or
accessories lines.

A quick go-to-market, improving mass production, simplicity in portfolio

management and preparing marketing is of great importance.
What is a Product Lifecycle?

Innovation & Design

The product lifecycle begins with a basic concept or idea. Here, new
product ideas are explored, and the most promising ones are selected for
development. Innovators design new and improved product solutions,
bringing your product to the level of maturity necessary to begin design
development.

The design stage of product development covers a range of engineering

disciplines. During this development phase, product designs are matured,
materials are selected and both virtual and real prototypes are created for
testing until they meet the respective operating conditions. Most
importantly, this phase is repeated to ensure that customer requirements
are met with a well-defined product.

Data Management, Governance, & Simulation

CAD Data Management enables organizations to easily access detailed

product design information, making the most of current and historic
design versions. This product data, your organization’s Intellectual
Property (IP), is kept secure and accessed only by those with appropriate
permissions.

Next, validation, simulation and optimization tools and used to perform

various product tests. These range from Stress Analyses to Finite Element
Analysis or Computational Fluid Dynamics. Digital twins provide a fully
functional simulation model of your product. These can react to real time
data and provide invaluable insight when it comes to real world analysis of
your product.

Manufacturing & Marketing

After your design is complete, product manufacturing begins. This phase

is defined by the tools and methods used to produce your product. PLM
tools such as Production Planning, enable organizations to develop more
agile and efficient production processes. This phase is key to achieving a
faster time-to-market. And to manufacturing a successful product at
launch.

Next, a marketing strategy is developed to identify your key target

audience. Various communication modes and methods are applied to
convey your unique product vision. PLM solutions provide comprehensive
tools to support marketing teams in bringing your product to market.

Maintenance & Repurposing

But this is not the end of the story. Companies continue to collect
feedback on the product in order to maintain and optimize future product
versions. This valuable product data is used to report on real world
performance.
Maintenance, repair and operations tools enable you to provide vital in-
service support to your customers. And this information can also be used
to prepare your product for the next phase of its lifecycle.

PLM platforms enable organizations to participate in the circular economy,

maintaining value in the product lifecycle, by providing the necessary
tools to close the manufacturing loop. PLM can even help you to recycle,
reuse and repurpose component parts of your product at the end of its
lifecycle. This helps to reduce waste and can even cut back resource
outlay in future product development. And, where materials are unable to
be repurposed, PLM helps to ensure the responsible handling of waste.

How Do You Manage a Product Lifecycle?

Management is a broad concept that touches multiple facets. At TECHNIA,

for example, we mean Project Management. This is often about design,
data, how to deal with milestones and planning projects. In fact, this
includes everything about the development of a product.

Another component that also falls under Management is being able to

work together in a structured way both internally and externally. So, you
want to get a grip on these collaborations and be able to scale them up so
far that you can work together easily, even internationally.

Process Management is about how a product should be developed and

what product information is related to it. For example, certifications,
product documentation, manuals and change processes.

Last, but not least, Change Management tackles the way that changes
pass through an organization. This is best captured in a workflow. This is a
great way to create insights for employees regarding their tasks and
responsibilities.

What is a PLM Platform?

Product Lifecycle Management platforms provide solutions for an array of

disciplines – Engineering and Design, Manufacturing, Simulation and
more. And, as each of these areas encompass various specialisms, it
makes sense to provide specialist software tools for them.

So, a PLM platform may connect Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software

suites such as CATIA or SOLIDWORKS with Computer-Aided Manufacturing
(CAM) software suites such as DELMIA. And the PLM platform ecosystem
connects all applications, tools and software available for use in
conjunction with your PLM platform.
This may refer to products developed and managed by the platform
provider, or by developers working alongside them. For example, TECHNIA
Software’s Experience Packaged suite is part of
the 3DEXPERIENCE platform ecosystem – these are tools and applications
which complement the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

This means that every speck of data concerning your product is

communicated live from a single source of truth. Every team member,
wherever they are, has access to the same data and they’re able to
update, revise and discuss that data in real time. So, PLM platforms
provide a cohesive ecosystem in which your organisation, culture and
business model can collaborate efficiently and thrive.

Manufacturers benefit from working within a PLM platform ecosystem in

many ways. These vary from industry to industry. But there are three key
reasons that PLM platform implementations can benefit any organization.

Firstly, PLM platforms bring together people, processes and data.

Meaning that your organizational Intellectual Property (IP) is centralized,
and readily available to all permissible users at any given time. This
ensures that all communication and action concerning your product is as
relevant and efficient as possible.

Secondly, investing in a PLM platform ecosystem enables you to expand

or streamline areas of your organization as you require. This is made more
easily attainable with PLM platforms on Cloud – as application licenses can
be made available according to, and on demand.

Thirdly, working within a common PLM platform enables simple supplier

collaboration. this means that your suppliers can be granted access to
relevant, live data just as easily as your own teams can. Simply put,
you’re sharing the benefits of your PLM platform with the organizations
you work with.

PLM is a Holistic Approach to People, Processes & Data

We say that PLM brings together people, processes and data. Because
PLM is more than any individual phase of the product lifecycle. It’s about
ensuring that valuable, valid data is accessible to the right people, and
applied to the right process. No matter where, when or how that data is
needed.

So, when used correctly, PLM supports global collaboration throughout

your organisation. In fact, PLM even supports collaboration outside of your
organization for supply chain management and more.
It can help individuals across your organization become more efficient, to
better visualize complex processes, and to ensure the security of
intellectual property (IP).

It can even help you to determine whether a product has successfully

moved between stages of development. Whether there might be delays,
and how you can efficiently plan changes in any aspect of development.

PLM is a Seamless Collaborative Environment

PLM provides the right tools for your product in a targeted and effective
manner as it moves through the various development phases. For
example,

Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools allow you to create parametric models
that can be quickly customized as needed.

Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools allow you to simulate and test
your design in a virtual, realistic environment.

Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) tools enable virtual manufacturing

and enable engineers to identify potential manufacturing problems before
building a manufacturing facility.

What is Lifecycle Analysis?

From sourcing raw materials to delivering completed items, Lifecycle

Assessment (LCA) provides a cohesive overview of the effect your
company’s products and services have on the environment. It asks
questions about product design and material choice optimization,
manufacturing processes, and distribution methods. LCA addresses
concerns like these based on reliable data collated from thousands of
sources within your business.

Traditional LCA assesses the impact of previous actions and is distinct

from day-to-day company operations. LCA, on the other hand, can
accomplish so much more with enhanced digitalization.
Digitalization, Digital Transformation, & Cloud
Data Migration

define digitalization as:

“The use of digital technologies to change a business model and provide

new revenue and value-producing opportunities; it is the process of
moving to a digital business.”

So, digitalization refers to a strategic, digital approach to modern

business. Whereas digital transformation is a broader term refering to the
process of integrating digital technology into all aspects of a business in
order to better connect with customers, improve efficiency, and create
new opportunities.

These are critical strategies for any organization aiming to remain

competitive in the digital landscape. Expected benefits of digitalization
and cloud data migration include:

 Improved efficiency by allowing you to access data and

applications from anywhere
 Scalability without the need to invest in additional hardware or
software
 Flexibility to quickly and easily adapt to changes in demand

Check out our quick guides to cloud data migration, and digital
transformation as a strategy for sustainable product creation.
What Are the Current Trends in PLM?

Franke Meijers | PLM Consultant

“PLM is constantly evolving in all its facets. For example, the design
philosophy, “Cradle-to-Cradle” is increasingly linked to PLM. This
philosophy states that every raw material, and materials used for a
product, must also be reused. The extra dimension of this idea is that the
raw material should not lose value when reused. Recycling and upcycling
are becoming an essential part of the traditional design process.

Another development is that organizations have increasingly unique

lifecycles. The traditional picture is, of course, when companies do their
own development; have their own production; and also provide services
for their product. But this is not always the case. This means that working
together with different organisations and suppliers plays a big role. This
cooperation should be seamless and have a very low margin of error.

We are also seeing a shift in business models where PLM can make its
appearance.

Think of product as a service and lease models. In these cases, the

product is not in possession, but a service is taken to use the
product. This gives a completely different view of product development
because it becomes essential to extend the life of a product. Preventive
and predictive maintenance will then become invaluable.”

Engineering & Design

What is CAD (Computer Aided Design)?

Enabling 2D and 3D design

Computer-Aided Design is most employed by Engineers to help create,

modify and/or analyze graphical representations of product designs. Its
applications stretch across a multitude of industries due to its many
popular benefits.
CAD software innovation continues to improve the quality of design
through greater accuracy and the reduction of design errors. CAD
software is also capable of improving communication due the
centralization of design data and documentation, creating a single source
of truth for engineers and manufacturers.

What is CAE (Computer Aided Engineering)?

Enabling verification through analysis of 3D models

Computer-aided engineering most used by Engineers for the simulation

and analysis of product designs. These analyses commonly include Finite
Element Analysis (FEA), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and
Multibody Dynamics (MBD). Similar to prototyping, these processes help
to prepare a product design for real world stresses. This testing enables
Engineers to make better product design decisions and revisions – this
ultimately leads to better product performance and customer experiences.
What is CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture)?

Enabling manufacturing processes to be designed for 3D model

manufacture

Computer-aided manufacturing is commonly used by Manufacturers –

rather than Design Engineers – to plan, manage, control and automate
manufacturing operations. CAM software uses CAD designs to infer
machining instructions while optimizing part production efficiency and
material usage.

Some PLM systems available on the market today, such as

the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, provide single sign-on access to multiple
CAD, CAE, and CAM tools. This improves productivity and efficiency by
working on the same data from different people at each stage of product
development. The single sign-on platform also functions as a central
database and avoids duplication of data. So, everyone connected to the
platform can access the latest data at any time, and their changes are
immediately available to everyone else with access. This allows
stakeholders to review and verify changes, bringing the product to the
next stage of its lifecycle.

What is Project Management?

Project Management is a methodical approach to the planning,

organization, controlling of resources, and execution of a project from
start to finish.

In PLM, Project Management is primarily about realizing a product vision.

Successful project management can be defined by the achievement of
clear business goals. These will include Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
such as ensuring Return-On-Investment (ROI), or meeting/exceeding End-
User requirements.
What Can I Achieve with ENOVIA?

Lend support to your teams improving product quality, reducing rework

time, meeting quality and compliance standards and, ultimately, bringing
better products to market ahead of the competition.

Give team members the best tools for the task with role-based
functionality and customizable dashboards. Update and review files and
data anytime, anywhere with cloud-based solutions for ENOVIA on the
3DEXPERIENCE platform.

ENOVIA supports three main disciplines: Business Modelling & Planning,

Quality and Compliance Management, and Product Configurations.
Ultimately, its purpose is to help guide your product throughout its
lifecycle.

Continue reading about ENOVIA here

How Does ENOVIA Support Project Management?

Successful project management happens when your organization truly

works together. But it’s hard to imagine how a global organization might
achieve this kind of dynamic collaboration between tens, hundreds or
thousands of users. And that’s before we even begin to consider supply
chain involvement! Thankfully, ENOVIA provides exceptional, collaborative
planning, development and release tools to help your organization plan
your definition of success.

Connect BOMs (Bill of Materials) and other deliverables for better

communication between Designers and Project Engineers. Share and
discuss issues directly over your 3D designs. ENOVIA also brings powerful
Sourcing and Product Management tools to the table which help you to
synchronize efforts in-house and across your supply chain.

What is Digital Manufacturing?

Digital Manufacturing drives manufacturing innovation and efficiency by

planning, simulating, and modeling production processes in the virtual
world.
What if all the flaws and potential waste that only become evident during
or after manufacturing could be identified at the earliest stages of the
process? This is where Virtual Twin technology comes in to play.

Developing and building an accurate digital version of a factory, a product

and the operational assets that create the product can have a huge
positive impact on the success of manufacturing processes, effectiveness
and viability.

Imagine building the factory and products virtually, being able to simulate
and optimize new manufacturing system designs, as well as validate
production schedules before even setting foot into the actual production
facility.

What is a Digital Twin?

define a Digital Twin as:

“A digital representation of a real-world entity or system. The

implementation of a digital twin is an encapsulated software object or
model that mirrors a unique physical object, process, organization, person
or other abstraction.”

Digital Twins are gaining recognition and popularity as a solution for

digitally representing a product, building or even a human being. This is
enabling new opportunities to improve performance, operations,
productivity, or quality of life.

Implementing a Digital Twin strategy to drive sustainability programs can

be profoundly effective. Digital Twins offer significant benefits when
planning, implementing, and realizing:

 Reduced energy consumption

 Reduced material consumption and the switch to more sustainable
materials
 Workforce activity optimization – travel, server usage, etc.
 Automation and robotization of hazardous and/or repetitive tasks to
improve working conditions and health

Furthermore, Digital Twins provide several advantages in the recycling of

a product based on a comprehensive and digital description, allowing for
strong traceability and the efficient and controlled dismantling and
recycling of material. Discover more about the advantages of a Digital
Twin strategy for sustainable product creation in the Addnode Group
report.
What is DELMIA 3DEXPERIENCE?

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a collaborative platform. It provides digital

continuity to empower every organization in your company – from
marketing to sales to engineering.

DELMIA 3DEXPERIENCE enables manufacturers to create digital models

that virtually simulate products, processes, and factory operations. It
incorporates Product Data Management (PDM) and Product Lifecycle
Management (PLM) through ENOVIA with the additional integration of
Dassault Systèmes’ other brands such as SIMULIA for
Simulation, CATIA for Computer-Aided Design, and more.

There are a number of different manufacturing tools and applications

which are included within DELMIA 3DEXPERIENCE:

 Process Engineering
 Ergonomics
 Robotics
 Machining
 Additive Manufacturing – Powder Bed & Deposition
 Plant Layout
 Virtual Factory

Read more about Digital Manufacturing with DELMIA in our blog

post, “What is DELMIA?”

What is 3DEXPERIENCE?

Dassault Systèmes describe 3DEXPERIENCE as a Business Experience

Platform which provides applications and services that enable digital
transformation to a data-driven, model-based environment.

What this means is that the 3DEXPERIENCE platform brings together

people, processes, and data in a cloud-based environment to help make
collaboration simple for all your teams. Empower your organization with
industry-leading solutions from product innovation, design, and
development through to manufacturing, marketing, and delivery.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides the underpinning apps and services

that enable the transformation to a digital, data-driven, model-based
environment. The common apps and services provide an effective way to
connect everyone early in the innovation process.
3DEXPERIENCE enables you, your teammates, and interdepartmental
colleagues to:

 Easily access all the latest information needed for your daily work
on one platform,
 Fluently and seamlessly cooperate,
 Efficiently navigate large amounts of data,
 Share a stake, revise, and refine vital business processes.

How to Implement a PLM Solution

From the first idea to the finished product, its delivery and use through to
its disposal, companies produce vast quantities of data. Without Product
Lifecycle Management (PLM), this flood of data can be difficult to manage.

Selecting the appropriate PLM solution is the first step. It need to be

appropriate for both the concerned corporation and medium-sized
businesses. Additionally, it must to be adaptable enough to allow for
future adjustments.

It’s crucial to strike the right balance between methodical approach and
quick deployment. However, two instances that can be problematic in
practise are highlighted by our experts:

 Without clearly defining its PLM project’s objectives, the

organisation is racing to deploy PLM.
 The business meticulously plans out a master strategy that is
future-focused. The criteria for this, however, have already passed
before the idea step is finished.

Model 1:

As a project manager, balancing many different skills is imperative, and risk

management is one of the most critical. This subtle art entails anticipating potential
hurdles and adeptly addressing their repercussions.

In this article, we'll examine the diverse types of project risks, emphasize the importance
of strategic risk management, and offer practical guidance to ensure you effectively
manage risks in your upcoming projects.
Ready to establish yourself as a project manager with the foresight and expertise to
tackle future challenges head-on? Let's begin!

What are the types of project risks?

Project risks are potential obstacles that could negatively impact project success.
Although they might only sometimes come to pass, their occurrence can create
significant challenges for the project, project manager, and organization.

Here are 10 common types of individual project risks in project management:

1. Scope creep: When a project's scope expands beyond the initially agreed
parameters, leading to delays in the timeline and increased costs.

2. Budget overrun: When the project's expenses surpass the approved budget,
potentially straining financial resources.

3. Timeline delays: When a project or its phases take longer than anticipated,
causing ripple effects on other project or program timelines.

4. People constraints: When a lack of available personnel or missing skillsets

hinders the project's completion within the desired timeframe or quality level.

5. Resource constraints: These constraints or insufficient resources, such as

equipment, tools, and materials, prevent a project from staying on track and
maintaining acceptable quality levels.

6. Communication issues: When communication breakdowns between people

or teams involved in a project lead to confusion and errors.

7. Technical issues: When problems with the technology required for or

supporting a project cause delays and quality concerns.

8. Performance issues: When a completed project fails to yield the intended or

necessary results despite staying within the scope and on time and budget.

9. Legal and regulatory issues: When new or changing laws, regulations, or

policies directly affect a project's ability to stay on track.
 10. External factors: When factors beyond the project manager's or
organization's control, such as natural disasters, impact a project's scope,
timeline, or budget.

While a project manager is responsible for identifying all these project risk types during
the project planning process, they must also be aware of their organization’s strategic
risks when working on any project.

The importance of strategic risk management

Strategic risks operate at the organizational level and can have severe long-term
consequences. These risks are typically identified and managed at the board level, but
project managers must also be familiar with them.

By understanding strategic risks, you can identify any connections between your
projects and these risks. For instance, a project may involve risks that, if not managed
effectively, could result in a strategic risk.

This is where strategic risk management comes into play.

In their April 2011 paper “What Is Strategic Risk Management?,” Mark L. Frigo and
Richard J. Anderson define strategic risk management as:

“...a process for identifying, assessing and managing risks and uncertainties, affected by
internal and external events or scenarios, that could inhibit an organization’s ability to
achieve its strategy and strategic objectives with the ultimate goal of creating and protecting
shareholder and stakeholder value.”
While this definition may seem complex, it effectively captures the critical elements of
strategic risk management.

So, to become a strategic partner and advisor in terms of risk, make sure you:

 Familiarize yourself with all strategic risks and understand how they’re
connected to project risks. This will enable you to contribute to strategic risk
management, which typically involves frequent communication and agreements
with senior stakeholders.
  Address a project risk that’s linked to a strategic threat from the outset.
Define the risk management plan (including a mitigation plan) and ensure the
project team is acutely aware of the risk's importance to the organization.
Heightened awareness ideally leads to increased vigilance, attention to detail,
higher quality levels, and early identification if a risk grows in likelihood.

 Ensure that senior stakeholders are fully informed. Mainly, they should be
fully aware of projects with risks linked to the organization's strategic risks and
keep them regularly updated on the status of those risks. Failure to do so may
result in organizational leadership being unaware of current threats to their
operations, causing your risk mitigation plan to become outdated and introducing
additional risk.

Eight steps for managing project risk more effectively

Still, you need to pay close attention to project-based risks and conduct risk analysis
early on in each project. Let's look at steps project managers can use to manage risk
effectively.

1. Identify

The first step in managing risk is risk identification—the process of identifying all
potential hazards.

Instead of attempting to identify risks alone, a project manager should involve as many
project stakeholders as possible. Conduct one or several risk workshops with the project
sponsor, key stakeholders, people with historical knowledge of similar projects, and
project team members.
As each risk is identified, add it to a risk register, ensuring that it captures all the
necessary information.

A basic risk register template. Source: SketchBubble PPT template

2. Assess

Once the risks are identified, the workshop attendees should evaluate the likelihood and
impact of each risk using a scoring system—what we call project risk assessment.

Determine a simple overall risk score using the formula:

Risk score = impact x probability

Number ranges can help to estimate the probability of a risk, e.g.:

 Score 5 - Highly likely - 91% chance of the risk becoming an issue

 Score 4 - Likely - 60-90%

 Score 3 - Possible - 41-60%

 Score 2 - Unlikely - 11-40%

  Score 1 - Highly unlikely - 0-10%

Remember that these risk scores are estimations based on the available knowledge at
that time and should be regularly revisited and updated.

3. Prioritize

Determine each risk's overall severity or priority using the combination of likelihood and
impact. By prioritizing risks this way, project managers can focus their energy on high-
severity risks while paying less attention to low-severity risks.

During this stage, it's essential to consider the project stakeholders' risk appetite, as
their perspective might influence the prioritization of risks.

4. Mitigate

With risks identified and assessed, it's time to explore strategies for risk mitigation and
risk response. The purpose of this process is to reduce the likelihood of them
materializing and becoming issues.

Typically, there are four ways to go about a mitigation strategy, and this could also be
added as a column to your risk register:

1. Avoid: When you bypass the activity area to reduce a risk/threat to zero.

2. Reduce: When you can't or don't want to avoid the activity area, you can
look at ways to reduce the likelihood of a risk becoming an issue, e.g.,
increased testing, allocating more people to a task or phase, or tightening
up processes.

3. Transfer: When you give ownership of a potential risk to a third-party

company to manage it. This will require funding that you have not planned
for.

4. Accept: When a risk is deemed worth considering the benefits the

associated activity could bring to the project and organization.
Collaboration with stakeholders is crucial in this step, as stakeholders' risk appetite may
influence the chosen risk management process.

5. Create contingency

Develop a contingency plan for each risk, outlining specific action steps and who should
be involved if a risk becomes an issue.

Allocate more time and effort to higher-priority risks, as there is less value in creating
detailed contingency plans for low-priority risks. Each objective should be clear, concise,
and actionable.

6. Assign responsibilities

Assign individual owners to each risk, ensuring they are clear about their role in risk
management. The owner is responsible for monitoring, assessing, and managing each
risk with the project manager's support.

It's crucial to avoid complacency and ensure that the risk register and each owner's
responsibilities are always in focus.

7. Monitor

Continuously monitor the risk register and facilitate review sessions with owners,
ensuring risks are regularly updated.

This is where most risk management plans fall down. A risk register is created at the
start of a project and forgotten about. This is a big mistake.

Remember that a risk register should be a living document, with the project manager
making sure risks are always on everyone's mind.

8. Communicate
Communication is perhaps the most important of all risk management practices.
Regularly communicate risks and their status to the project team and stakeholders.

Effective communication includes sharing information about the likelihood, impact,

priority, mitigation, owners, and contingency plans for individual risks.

In an ideal world, the stakeholders would have been involved in the initial risk
workshops, but often, they don't attend. Either way, once the initial risks have been
identified and assessed, they should be sent out to both the project team and
stakeholders so all can see the likelihood, impact, priority, mitigation, owners, and
contingency plans.

Always ensure everyone is aware of the overall project risk status, and keep
stakeholders engaged throughout the project lifecycle.

Embrace and master the risk

Conquering project risk management is a non-negotiable skill for any project

management professional, as it dramatically increases the likelihood of a flawless
project journey. Why is this so vital?

Because even with the most precise planning, all projects are bound to encounter
hurdles. A top-notch project manager will foresee these potential curveballs, devise a
custom strategy for each, and implement those plans skillfully.

By keeping stakeholders in the loop and actively engaged, you can nimbly navigate
things back on course with minimal disruption, paving the way for a successful project.