Who owns PLM implementation project?

I’m coming with new discussion related to how we can successfully implement Product Lifecycle Management. I think, this issue is as important as to have good PLM technologies and ready to use functions in a product.

However, I see PLM-related implementation project uniqueness in the following factors:

1. Cross Functional. Large diversity of people and process involved into implementation. Traditionally PLM-related activity is spanning across multiple domains in organization, which position PLM influences a significant range of operational activities.

2. R&D involved. PLM is heavy impacted by R&D and Engineering activity of organization. Engineering and Product development work is unique in the way people see how they work and from a standpoint how they want to see computer systems manage their work.

3. Tools. Large diversity of software tools and providers involved. In very rare situation company uses single vendor solution for their development practices. The reasons are many – historical, product development needs, acquisitions and mergers etc. As a result corporate IT zoo for PLM implementation may be easy include several dozens of tools and components.

With this specifics how I can see a possible PLM implementation project from ownerships standpoint.

1. Corporate Ownership. The corporate ownership absolutely must have successful PLM implementations. The leader of PLM implementation should have enough power, leadership and knowledge to harmonize diverse number of stakeholders involved into implementation.

2. Service Provider Ownership. This is very typical situation for most of PLM implementation. Additional company (in many cases can represent major vendor for this customer), is taking overall responsibilities about implementation. Were advantages are clear, the disadvantages are practically the same – lock and high dependence on such service provider, ability of service provider to work with a significant number of player in the same organization in parallel.

3. PLM Consultancy. There is situation when company decided to hire PLM consultant for planning and leading of PLM implementation. This PLM consultant needs to work with corp. resources and diverse teams to lead them toward PLM implementation. Such PLM consultant can also cooperate with Service Providers to do some additional work.

What is my conclusion so far? To have strong PLM project ownership and leadership is absolutely needed to PLM implementation. There is no single recipe how to implement PLM, company needs to work on their own plan and vision for PLM implementation. Diversity of vendors and tools provide an additional complexity in PLM implementations.

These are my thoughts…What do you think about that?

Best, Oleg.