The Increasing Value of SOA-Based Unified Architectures for PLM - "Harmonizing the Environment"
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® The Increasing Value of SOA-Based Unified Architectures for PLM “Harmonizing the Environment” February 2011 A CIMdata White Paper
The Increasing Value of SOA-Based Unified
Architectures for PLM
“Harmonizing the Environment”
February 2011
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CIMdata, Inc.
®
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Copyright © 2011 by CIMdata, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Increasing Value of SOA-Based Unified
Architectures for PLM
“Harmonizing the Environment”
Today’s manufacturing industries are under continuous pressure to deliver
competitive products faster and are implementing PLM solutions to help address
this issue. As PLM solutions expand to encompass the complete lifecycle, they are
becoming increasingly complex and harder to maintain. SOA-based unified PLM
architectures are helping reduce this complexity while improving user and
organizational productivity. This paper presents the challenges that companies
are currently facing, defines a SOA-based unified PLM architecture approach,
describes the benefits that it can deliver, discusses factors companies should
consider in evaluating whether to transition to a unified architecture, and
discusses approaches to such a transition. This paper is not a review of any
specific architecture. Instead it is intended to provide an overview of such
architectures, their potential value, and issues to consider in making a transition
decision.
importantly, having a common user interaction paradigm.
1. Introduction One approach to this problem has been the selection of
unified PLM solutions suites built on a Service-Oriented
Companies around the world are continuously seeking new Architecture (SOA) provided by a core solution provider.
and better ways of addressing their markets with innovative
products that capture the imagination of their customers. The term SOA describes a style of multi-tier computing in
They also focus intensively on better ways of running their which resources on a network are made available as inde-
business operations to ensure that they produce these inno- pendent services that can be accessed without knowledge of
vative products cost-effectively with high quality. To their underlying platform implementation. SOA provides a
achieve these goals, they have increasingly turned to Prod- uniform and consistent means to offer, discover, interact
uct Lifecycle Management (PLM) strategies and solutions with, and use capabilities and services across a networked
as critical initiatives for their business success. environment. Thus, a SOA defines services that are inde-
pendent of the server that provides them and clients that
Many implementations of PLM solutions include applica- utilize them.
tions from multiple technology suppliers. These applica-
tions must be interfaced or integrated with one another to While SOA-based unified PLM solution suites will not
support end-to-end product lifecycle processes. In cases provide all of the applications encompassed in a company’s
where one supplier provides multiple applications, fre- PLM strategy, they are intended to provide a foundational
quently those applications were developed individually (or framework upon which the overall PLM solution can be
obtained via acquisition) and also have to be integrated. based. In addition, the newer, unified solution suites strive
to provide a relatively broad suite of applications that are
As the PLM environment expanded to encompass more of components of the full PLM strategy and are fully inte-
the product lifecycle, more and more applications were grated on the SOA platform.
used and the number of integrations increased significantly.
Additional resources—both human and financial—had to For manufacturing companies of all sizes and in all indus-
be committed to maintain and upgrade the overall tries, SOA-based unified PLM architectures provide the
environment. ability to expand the level of functionality available, im-
prove the user’s experience even as more and more diverse
To address these issues, companies want to simplify their users work within the PLM environments, and reduce the
PLM environment by using applications and solutions built cost and complexity of deploying and maintaining a distrib-
on common technologies, with common data models and
Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architectures A CIMdata White Paper Page 1
uted PLM environment. Service-oriented unified architec- operations by eliminating the impacts of time,
tures offer long-term benefits to both solution developers distance, and organizational boundaries.
and to those companies that adopt SOA within their IT • Continually innovate and improve products and
infrastructure and environments—faster development of the processes used to design, produce, and
applications and industry, user, and company tailored solu- service them.
tions; faster and less costly deployment; and less depend- To meet these challenges, companies are investing in solu-
ency on a given set of technologies. tions that include technologies, methodologies, and best
This paper will describe the challenges facing businesses practices that can help them improve their ability to focus
and how migration to a SOA-based unified PLM architec- on product innovation, leverage business partners, and
ture can help address those challenges. compete more effectively in the global marketplace. Fur-
Research for this paper was sponsored by Siemens PLM ther, companies need these solutions to be easier to imple-
Software. ment, maintain and upgrade or enhance.
Companies want to establish a single source of knowledge
for all product-related information and processes. They
2. Market Situation must establish interconnected processes so that information
Today’s global marketplace is challenging enterprises to flows to workers across the extended enterprise when and
become more innovative to compete more effectively and as needed. Establishing a single, logical source of knowl-
maintain their competitiveness. Figure 1 illustrates the edge that is accessible globally allows companies to design
market pressures that all companies face, and will continue anywhere and build anywhere—enabling the flexibility to
to face in the future. Globalization is creating more com- respond to competitive pressures and market changes.
petitors and associated pricing pressures while increasing Finally, companies need to achieve a significant return on
product complexity is placing demands on having better their PLM investments.
processes and management of product information. During the 1980s, companies used cus-
tomized implementations of focused appli-
cations to address specific issues, e.g.,
CAD file management. In the 1990s, com-
panies deployed domain-focused applica-
tions such as change management. Today,
enterprises of all sizes are demanding
solutions to business-level issues such as
new product development, product launch,
and strategic product planning.
Deploying a PLM strategy and environ-
ment has typically required implementing a
set of applications (or applications mod-
ules) that encompass and support selected
PLM functionality. These applications are
Figure 1—Today’s Competitive Environment:
then integrated to provide transfer and use
Company Success is Built On Innovation
of product-related information in as seam-
Success in today’s globalized, competitive markets requires less and transparent a manner as possible.
companies to focus on agility and innovation to better These integrations also support development of end-to-end
respond to changing market demands and competition. processes across the appropriate applications.
They must better collaborate among internal groups and The increasing diversity of applications, underlying data
with their partners and customers, and they must continu- models, and technology, as well as the potentially exponen-
ally provide increased end user value to their customers tial increase in integrations, has a negative impact on a
through their products and services. To address these issues company’s ability to remain competitive. For a user, getting
enterprises must: his or her work done often requires learning and working
• Enable collaboration among virtual product with multiple applications which often have different user
teams spread around the world so that they can interfaces and working paradigms. While integration tech-
conduct product development and support 24 x 7 nologies have significantly improved, each point-to-point
Page 2 A CIMdata White Paper Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architecturesintegration requires development and support effort, and • Interface is more difficult to implement.
must be updated as the individual applications are upgraded Applications can exchange files and some
or replaced over time. metadata automatically (without user
intervention). PLM functions are provided via
Industrial companies are looking for approaches that enable
menus within each application.
them to rationalize and harmonize their PLM environments.
• Integration is the most difficult to implement. It
They want to reduce the cost of supporting these environ-
enables a full, automatic exchange of all types of
ments while increasing their ability to upgrade and enhance
product data and metadata between applications
them in a flexible manner.
and functions. However, integration
implementers need to have a deep knowledge of
3. Defining a Unified each application’s data structure and it requires
user interface adaptations in every integrated
Architecture application.
A unified architecture helps address many of the issues that While these approaches are used to enable work to flow
have caused difficulties and increased costs in establishing across PLM applications and modules, they require devel-
a cohesive PLM environment. It provides a foundation for oping and supporting an ever-increasing number of inter-
the overall environment but does not necessarily encompass faces and continuous translation of data. Further, workers
all the applications or functionality that a company may may have to use different user interfaces as they access
require. different modules and data entry and conversion errors are
continuous sources of error.
A unified PLM architecture eliminates
problems associated with these integration
methods for all applications that are deliv-
ered as components of the overall frame-
work. A unified architecture is one in
which functional applications and modules
are designed and built on a common tech-
nology foundation and share a common
data model and database. Within the appli-
cation suite delivered as part of unified
architecture solutions, information created
in one module or function is immediately
visible and available in all other modules
without additional data entry or
transformation.
Across the breadth of applications deliv-
Figure 2—Methods for Connecting Applications ered as components of unified architecture
solutions, the user is presented with a con-
Prior to unified architectures, three primary methods, as sistent context-driven interface tailored to
illustrated in Figure 2, were used to address the wide range role and task requirements regardless of the functional
of applications integrations that are incorporated into PLM module in which they are working. Common methods for
solution implementations—each with increasing capabili- information search and access are incorporated into all the
ties that deliver higher benefits but generally at a higher modules within a unified architecture.
cost. Unified architectures normally incorporate industry-stan-
• Encapsulation is a relatively simple solution and dard technologies and a SOA. While a SOA does not itself
is easier to implement than either interface or deliver a unified architecture, it provides a common suite of
integration. Persons using the data management services that each module in the unified architecture uses to
system could search for and locate the package execute desired actions, e.g., search, display, etc.
of data but would have to transfer it to another
Every PLM system requires tailoring to specific business
application for use.
processes and needs to support this tailoring with as little
programming as possible. Companies need the ability to
Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architectures A CIMdata White Paper Page 3configure their PLM environment to support their business SOA provides a service-based, message-oriented integra-
process with little or no programming using business mod- tion built on industry-standard technologies such as XML,
eling functionality. However, when customization is SOAP, HTTP, WSDL and UDDI. The most effective SOAs
required, programming extensions need to be supported are loosely coupled, highly reliable, business process-
within and by the unified environment. To accomplish this, focused and support heterogeneous IT environments.
PLM architectures and platforms should support program- While a SOA-based unified PLM architecture provides the
ming environments based on industry standards, e.g., the foundation, (and potentially many of the functional needs)
Eclipse framework. This better enables system enhance- of a PLM environment, no single product suite supports
ments and developing or integrating additional functionality every application needed by an enterprise. Other applica-
and applications using a common mechanism. tions will still need to be integrated using one of the three
Two other critical requirements for a unified PLM archi- techniques described earlier. However, the SOA-based
tecture are scalability and performance with rich business unified architecture provides the foundation upon which
behavior and flexibility. Scalability in how the system han- additional applications can be built. These additional inte-
dles changes in loads and how it can be configured to grations can use the common data model or database for
maximize performance and reliability running on a given information exchange, the common services, and support
hardware and network infrastructure needs to be consid- the common user interface paradigm. Building on this
ered. In today’s global environments, clients often need to architectural foundation to support additional applications
connect across wide area network (WAN) connections with helps reduce the overall complexity of the environment
higher latency, lower bandwidth and higher probability of when compared to previous implementation approaches.
failure than is found in local area network (LAN) environ-
ments. A unified architecture can be scaled to help reduce
latency issues and is easier to tune to deliver the best possi-
4. Benefits of a SOA-Based
ble performance, regardless of global location, network
speeds, etc.
Unified PLM Architecture
A cornerstone of a unified PLM architecture is a common
Enterprises need to implement PLM architectures that sup-
data model upon which the functional modules provided
port a range of deployment options which can be config-
within the architecture are built and shared. This simplifi-
ured to optimize the processing load within their IT land-
cation of the environment delivers a significant benefit. It
scape and provide the flexibility to deliver higher
eliminates individual integrations among modules and
performance with less impact on IT budgets. One of the
makes information created in one functional area immedi-
approaches to developing flexible architectures is the use of
ately available in other areas. This significantly reduces or
SOA. Providers of business solutions and applications are
eliminates data re-entry and translation errors, as well as the
using SOA as one of the most cost effective methods for
time required to make information available to other users
developing, supporting, and enhancing their solutions and
and applications. Further, a unified architecture reduces
product suites. Enterprises are adopting solutions built on
data redundancy and by doing so increases data consistency
SOA because they provide a cost-effective, more easily
and integrity.
adoptable, business-oriented platform for delivering
required business functionality. In a SOA, services are defined with explicit boundaries and
share data types, but not copies of data items. This separa-
SOA can also be regarded as a style of Information Systems
tion ensures that errors in the execution of one service will
architecture that enables the creation of applications built
not corrupt the results, nor cause a failure, of other services.
by combining loosely coupled and interoperable services.
This results in improved reliability and up-time of mission-
The interface definition hides the implementation of the
critical business processes. Once a service is defined, it can
language-specific service. SOA-compliant systems can
be easily re-used and invoked from any process or client.
therefore be independent of development technologies and
This can significantly reduce the time and effort to develop
platforms (such as WebSphere, Java, .NET, etc.). SOA can
and incorporate new capabilities into applications and busi-
support integration and consolidation activities within and
ness solution implementations. This flexibility of re-using
among complex enterprise systems.
services enables development organizations and imple-
SOA promotes the goal of separating services use from menting companies to adapt new capabilities and processes
service implementations. Services can therefore be run on faster, with less impact on production environments.
various distributed platforms and be accessed across net-
Unified architectures typically provide users with a com-
works. This can also maximize reuse of services and the
mon interface to all applications and functionality within
balancing of services across the platforms delivering them.
Page 4 A CIMdata White Paper Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architecturesthe environment. This reduces the complexity of their Most companies have multiple applications that essentially working environment, and makes it easier for users to navi- provide the same or overlapping functionality but were gate across multiple functions and solution modules. This acquired over time by different organizations or programs. benefits both power users and casual users, and empowers Consolidating these applications typically reduces support them to do more, more quickly. Further, having a common costs, as well as the complexity of the overall environment. user interaction paradigm reduces the potential for errors in Working with a consolidated application suite can create a entering information into the system as the user more more flexible work force, since individuals can move more clearly understands what to enter and how to enter it. The freely between programs. use of SOA technology also enables PLM functionality to As PLM becomes a more critical enterprise solution, more be called from or embedded within end user applications. and more users of all types need to access the PLM solution This makes it easier for workers to use supported function- suite. Maintaining acceptable performance for the expand- ality which improves productivity, increases their adoption ing user community requires that the environment be easily of the applications, and reduces training and deployment scalable. It must support both increasing volumes of data support costs. and access as well as frequency and size of data exchange Simplifying the PLM environment can dramatically reduce among mechanical, manufacturing, analysts, electrical, the cost of deploying and supporting that environment, electronics, software, and service/operations teams from installation to upgrades to operations. Having a com- throughout the product’s life cycle. There may potentially mon, shared data model and underlying architecture, be thousands of global users working with and exchanging including APIs, etc., reduces or eliminates the custom pro- significant volumes of product information. gramming required to develop and maintain integrations One of the major benefits of a unified architecture is that it between functional modules. This reduces the administra- provides a foundation for establishing common processes tive complexity and the number of resources needed to across an enterprise. While a unified architecture itself does maintain the environment, the cost of those resources, and not mandate common processes (indeed, common processes the time required to create and update integrations. This can be established without using a unified architecture), the enables a company to update or expand its PLM environ- fact that all functions are supported by a common data ment faster, at lower cost, and with fewer risks. This, in model and database, and use common services and a com- turn, translates into improved competitiveness and a faster mon user interface means that it is much easier to set up return on the PLM investment. common or shared processes that flow across all the appli- The common data model and architecture also reduce the cations and functions supported within the unified PLM complexity and effort to integrate PLM functionality with architecture. Additionally, the migration to a unified archi- other business applications and solutions. This allows com- tecture provides a catalyst to making process changes. panies to expand the use of product information created and A major aerospace company stated that they are moving to maintained within the PLM environment and helps PLM a PLM environment built on a unified architecture. They users access and use other business data to facilitate per- plan to increase data reuse and reduce data redundancy, forming their tasks and making better decisions. This flexi- eliminate data re-entry time and errors, and eliminate many bility should also improve the ability to integrate with a of their current application-to-application integrations. As a company’s extended value chain—its design, manufactur- result of transitioning to a unified PLM architecture they ing, and services partners. expect to reduce resources and costs needed to support the Another major benefit of having a unified architecture is a new environment and improve their ability to change the much better ability to aggregate information and perform environment as their business needs change. analytics and reporting. Information is in a common data Establishing a common toolset built on a unified architec- model and changes in one functional area are automatically ture improves a user’s ability to work more effectively and reflected in all other areas. Analytics and reporting dash- productively. It reduces the training (and time) required for boards provide a more consistent and complete view of all a user to learn a new tool or function. Providing a context- managed information. This enables users to make better driven user experience enables users to move between decisions, faster when evaluating product design options functions more easily. This helps managers to more effec- and program status. tively use their human resources across programs and func- Frequently, when transitioning to a unified architectural tional domains as business needs dictate. It also reduces the environment, a company can consolidate applications onto time required to incorporate new hires (or new employees the unified platform. This can reduce the number of added as part of a merger or acquisition) effectively into the standalone applications used within the PLM environment. overall environment. Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architectures A CIMdata White Paper Page 5
One of the strengths of a SOA-based unified architecture is processes
its power as a mechanism for more easily delivering a sys- • Use a variety of technologies to facilitate
tem that directly supports business processes and operating interactions throughout the extended enterprise
models. By providing a uniform and consistent means for Use of a SOA helps reduce costs associated with making
interaction and access to application functionality (i.e., changes to business systems and applications, integration
updating a Bill of Material in several applications simulta- between departments or companies, and maintaining and
neously), use of SOA reduces the complexity of defining leveraging legacy systems. Also, it can reduce the cost of
the steps and actions required by an end-to-end business acquisitions and partnerships by making it easier to inte-
process. This provides a structure for solution providers and grate the systems and processes of the combined entities.
IT organizations to deliver against actual business require- SOA allows engineering and other business managers to
ments more quickly and flexibly. This style of architecture quickly respond to critical product development and
promotes re-use at the macro level (i.e., service) rather than deployment issues by more quickly, easily, and at lower
micro levels (e.g., data objects). It can also simplify inter- cost introducing applications or changes in procedures
connection with and usage of existing IT assets. These necessitated by critical product development and deploy-
capabilities are increasingly important to manufacturing ment issues. Using a SOA accomplishes this by integrating
enterprises. services-connected PLM, ERP, and legacy product data
Figure 3 illustrates a SOA-based unified architecture for applications where the application processes or services
PLM. have been exposed in standardized protocols.
A SOA-based unified PLM architecture helps manufactur- PLM applications are complex in that they must integrate
ing companies: with design and analysis tools, decision support solutions,
• Enable participants in their extended enterprise and a multitude of other business systems. In addition, they
to work together with minimal co-dependence or must deal with a diversity of complex product-related data.
technology dependence Delivering this diverse and frequently large set of product
• Specify the standard to which organizations, data to the business users that must act on it has been chal-
people, and technologies must adhere to lenging, especially when multiple PLM applications across
participate in the business processes of the several divisions of an enterprise have different product
extended enterprise development environments or when there are multiple PLM
• Enable the software to more effectively and applications or ERP systems that are trying to manage a
seamlessly support complete end-to-end business consistent product definition. Using SOA, a common set of
service calls can be made to multiple
applications and information repositories
using a single user interaction, providing a
significant productivity gain compared to
performing each action independently.
A SOA-based architecture provides a bet-
ter platform for extensibility of the envi-
ronment. It is easier to incorporate addi-
tional capability delivered either by
applications built on the platform or third-
party applications that can be integrated
via services calls to the platform.
Providing and controlling access to prod-
uct-related information and processes
when working with design and supply
chain partners can be a very complex and
difficult problem. Each partner, and even
each division within an enterprise, may use
different applications to perform the same
Figure 3—Example of the Teamcenter SOA-Based Unified Architecture or similar function. If these functions can
Courtesy of Siemens PLM Software be accessed or initiated via a service, it
greatly simplifies the time and effort to
Page 6 A CIMdata White Paper Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architecturescreate the virtual environment needed. Partner and supplier • Are errors and time delays being introduced
users and other business systems can request the service through redundant data re-entry and translation
without needing to know what application will deliver that between applications?
service. SOA portal user interfaces can be designed so that • Is there an ability to integrate and collaborate
they focus on the user’s business tasks without having to effectively across the global enterprise as well as
use multiple applications’ APIs or protocols. Each individ- with suppliers?
ual’s user interface can be role and work task context driven • Can the PLM environment be quickly adapted to
and presented in custom terminology and for specific needs. meet changing market conditions and business
This enables the user to focus on work tasks without trying requirements?
to sort out the complexities of the overall IT environment, • Does it require too much effort to integrate,
thereby improving productivity and work morale. maintain, and upgrade multiple, diverse PLM
As companies look for ways to improve their competitive- applications?
ness, increase individual and organizational productivity, • Does it support open standards and technologies
and at the same time reduce their IT investments, a SOA- that will enable you to incorporate new solutions
based unified PLM architecture can be a key element for or work with solutions within other divisions or
success. your partners and customers?
For more information on SOA and PLM, refer to “Service- Companies that have implemented PLM environments and
Oriented Architecture for PLM,” a CIMdata white paper solutions have made investments in technology, processes
available at www.cimdata.com. and workflows, and training. Further, they have multiple
databases of product-related information created using a
variety of applications. Evolving or replacing the in-pro-
5. Deciding to Transition duction PLM environment will require time, money, and
Companies considering moving to a PLM environment resources. Such a transition must, over time, provide a solid
built on a SOA-based unified architecture should evaluate return on the investment required and provide the company
several factors before committing to the transition. Why a with a more flexible, efficient, and productive environment.
transition from their current environment to a new envi- When making the decision about whether to transition to a
ronment built on a SOA-based unified architecture unified PLM architecture, there are also a number of im-
improves business is very important to understand. Transi- pediments to consider including:
tioning to a new environment of any type requires time and • Technological—What new technologies will
resources and must provide a reasonable, if not substantial, have to be introduced into the overall IT
benefit in return for the effort involved. landscape? What will be required to deploy and
sustain solutions built on those technologies (do
There are many issues that companies need to evaluate
you have the IT skills)? Are the new
when considering why to transition to a SOA-based unified
technologies compatible (both short- and long-
architecture. These include:
term) with the other technologies to which the
• Is the current environment not meeting business company has committed? Can you continue to
needs? Is it limiting the ability to incorporate support your current IT technologies (are/will
additional functionality or expand the use of the skills be available)?
managed information?
• Financial—What will be the initial and ongoing
• Do users have visibility of product requirements costs of the transition? This includes software
during product development? acquisition or upgrade, training, deployment,
• Do users have visibility into project schedules, data migration, and ongoing operations.
resources, and costs throughout the product • Cultural—Will the transition impact the way in
development process? which users work? Will it change the
• Do manufacturing and procurement personnel applications they use, add or decrease their
have early visibility to begin their planning workload and tasks, or change the processes they
processes? follow?
• Is there difficulty reusing components, parts, • Benefits—What benefits will accrue and when
products, and processes across the extended will they be achieved?
enterprise?
Transitioning to a new environment and architecture will
require effort and monetary investment. Each company will
Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architectures A CIMdata White Paper Page 7face a different set of issues and constraints. After a com- communicated to show users how they will be able to work
pany has evaluated the issues most pertinent to their situa- more effectively after the transition in order to get their
tion, they can make an informed decision about whether support. The transition plan will need to address the
transitioning to a unified PLM architecture is appropriate following questions:
for them. Once a company decides to transition to a unified • Prerequisites—Which software changes or
PLM architecture, it can then determine how it will execute updates, functional capabilities that must be
the transition. carried forward, and any IT infrastructure
changes or updates may be required?
• Process Change—What processes will be
6. Transition Approaches and changed and how will these changes impact the
Issues users? Will the transition simplify or complicate
how they will work in the future versus how they
Transitioning to a unified architecture requires careful work today?
planning and must address many issues. Companies must • Data Cleansing and Migration—Will data have
define and manage the expectations of the individuals and to be modified or cleansed as part of the
organizations being impacted. Expectations about time, transition? Diversity of data and the cleaning and
cost, functional, and operational (e.g., process) changes migration of that data to a new structure can be a
should be established and communicated clearly along with major cost and time impact and must be
the benefits expected to be achieved. Setting expectations carefully evaluated and planned.
helps define and manage the scope and impact of the • Application Consolidation—Which functions
transition. and applications can be consolidated? Which
Several approaches can be followed in making a transition, applications will be replaced or eliminated and at
including big bang, multi-phase, and selective replacement. what point during the overall transition?
However, in CIMdata’s experience a multi-phase approach • Implementation Scope—How many applications
has generally proven to be the most effective and least and functions will be supported within the
disruptive for most organizations. A multi-phase approach unified architecture suite? How many additional
enables a company to better define and manage the scope of applications will need to be integrated?
a transition, the costs associated with the transition, and the • Resources—Who will be required to participate
impact on users and organizations. in the transition and when? Make their
availability a priority.
An important requirement for a multi-phase approach is the
ability to have efficient interoperability among the new, • Training—Who, how, how much, and when?
unified PLM environment and legacy systems. This enables • Replacing Old Customized Solutions with OOTB
the enterprise to continue to function, leverage existing IP, Tailored Solutions—What customizations are no
minimize disruption to the business, and bring new solu- longer needed? What functionality will replace
tions in phases. each? How will this impact users and processes?
• Timing—When and what will be done in each
Companies must develop a detailed transition plan that phase? How long will each phase take to
identifies any critical issues that must be addressed to complete?
ensure a successful transition. CIMdata believes they • Adding New Capabilities—What new
should appoint a program manager and an executive who capabilities are being added and when will they
will be responsible for the transition program. become available?
The plan should define the transition phases and the In defining the phases, transition the core functions such as
timeframe for each phase. Identify all dependencies data management, review and release, change management,
between the phases. All costs of the transition should be etc., first. Next, transition additional functionality based on
defined (and budgeted) and those costs should be allocated business priorities. For example, one company may have a
by phase of the transition. Transition phases should also be higher need for requirements management and compliance,
synchronized with other IT projects to reduce impacts and while another may need product portfolio planning and
cost and to leverage other activities within the enterprise. strategic sourcing. Prioritizing the transition phases will
The impact on users and organizations by phase should be enable a company to maximize benefits earlier in the
identified, described, and communicated to all affected implementation.
persons. When describing the impacts, the expected bene-
fits associated with the transition should be clearly
Page 8 A CIMdata White Paper Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM ArchitecturesUsing a multi-phased approach enables rolling out the new While SOA-based unified PLM architectures can provide
environment group by group, rather than having to imple- significant benefits, they do not encompass every applica-
ment across all groups simultaneously. On the other hand, tion and function needed by an enterprise to address the
roll out can take place program by program. This approach complete product lifecycle. Additional integration of
lessens the impact and disruption on the company and the selected applications will still be required. However, a
user community. It also enables companies to better plan SOA-based unified architecture provides a foundation upon
long-term support for programs with lengthy lifecycles, which these additional applications can more easily be
e.g., airframes, ships, elevators, etc. built, integrated, and delivered, which can reduce the
Each company will have unique transition issues and should maintenance cost for the overall PLM environment.
evaluate transition options accordingly. Effective planning For manufacturing companies of all sizes and in all indus-
and careful program management and scope control are the tries, SOA-based unified PLM architectures provide com-
keys to transition success. panies an opportunity to establish a more effective, com-
Examples of companies that have transitioned to a unified prehensive PLM environment. These architectures provide
Siemens PLM Software architecture can be found in the ability to expand the level of functionality available,
CIMdata’s report “Teamcenter “unified”,” June 2010, improve the user’s experience even as more and more
which is available at diverse users work within the PLM solution set, and reduce
http://www.cimdata.com/publications/reports_complimenta the overall cost of maintenance, support, and enhancement.
ry/white_papers.html. Significant potential benefits include providing users with a
more consistent working environment context-tailored to
individual roles, reducing or eliminating redundancies and
7. Summary and Concluding errors in data entry and translation between applications and
functions, lowering the cost of IT support, and providing a
Comments more flexible environment that can be rapidly adjusted to
Enterprises today must maximize the use of their changing business needs.
resources—both financial and human—to create environ- Additional benefits to both solution developers and to those
ments that enable them to deliver competitive products and companies that adopt SOA solutions within their IT infra-
services in a timely manner. As PLM environments have structure and environments are faster development of appli-
expanded to cover more and more of the complete product cations and industry, user, and company tailored solutions,
lifecycle, the complexity and cost of supporting those envi- faster and less costly deployment, and less dependency on a
ronments have continued to rise. Simplifying the PLM given set of technology.
environment, while providing more information and capa-
CIMdata believes that companies should evaluate the use of
bilities to the individual worker, is an important factor in
solutions implemented on SOA-based unified architectures
the overall success of PLM programs.
as part of their PLM strategies.
Reducing the complexity of the product development envi-
ronment, and the cost of maintaining and upgrading that
environment, allows companies to invest more of their About CIMdata
resources into developing and delivering their products. CIMdata, a leading independent worldwide firm, provides
Creating environments in which users have a consistent, strategic management consulting to maximize an enter-
role-based way of working increases the productivity of prise’s ability to design and deliver innovative products and
workers and organizations. services through the application of Product Lifecycle Man-
SOA-based unified PLM architectures can provide a major agement (PLM) solutions. Since its founding more than 25
step forward in building and sustaining more flexible, pro- years ago, CIMdata has delivered world-class knowledge,
ductive PLM environments. They address many of the expertise, and best-practice methods on PLM solutions.
issues of integrating the diverse set of applications and These solutions incorporate both business processes and a
functions required across the full product lifecycle by deliv- wide-ranging set of PLM enabling technologies.
ering many of the required functions and processes via a CIMdata works with both industrial organizations and sup-
common set of services, providing a common data model pliers of technologies and services seeking competitive
and database, having a consistent user interface paradigm advantage in the global economy. CIMdata helps industrial
across the included modules, and reducing or eliminating organizations establish effective PLM strategies, assists in
redundant data entry and translation within the supported the identification of requirements and selection of PLM
modules. technologies, helps organizations optimize their operational
Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architectures A CIMdata White Paper Page 9structure and processes to implement solutions, and assists provides industry education through PLM certification pro- in the deployment of these solutions. For PLM solution grams, seminars, and conferences worldwide. CIMdata suppliers, CIMdata helps define business and market strate- serves clients around the world from offices in North gies, delivers worldwide market information and analyses, America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. provides education and support for internal sales and mar- To learn more about CIMdata’s services, visit our website keting teams, as well as overall support at all stages of at www.CIMdata.com or contact CIMdata at: 3909 business and product programs to make them optimally Research Park Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA. Tel: +1 effective in their markets. 734.668.9922. Fax: +1 734.668.1957; or at Oogststraat 20, In addition to consulting, CIMdata conducts research, pro- 6004 CV Weert, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 (0)495.533.666. vides PLM-focused subscription services, and produces several commercial publications. The company also Page 10 A CIMdata White Paper Value of SOA-Based Unified PLM Architectures
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