The purpose of this writing is to begin a series of articles that will (over time) take you on a journey of a company that is wrought with time wasting processes.
They have a PLM system, but it is performing the basics of product lifecycle management. Nothing more and nothing less.
Over this series of articles the team of players will undertake the journey to move from a standard PLM system to a PLM Based SolutionScape that will enable them to experience Mind to Market transformation.
Author's Note - Any reference to specific commercial products referenced in this article is not intended to denote that other commercial products (or in-house developed modules) would not serve a similar role. It is merely used to represent an example of a product in market that is capable of achieving the integrated operations as noted.
Walt Johnson is awoken from a good night’s sleep triggered by his phone alarm, set for 7:00 am, giving him sufficient time to arise, have a cup of coffee, and prepare himself for this day of work at Good Products, Inc., a women’s apparel company located on the outskirts of Big City. Walt’s role at Good Products is that of Material Sourcing, where he’s served in that role for over five years; a role that is rewarding in its own right, but often discouraging in its operations.
As he enters the kitchen, he is greeted by the rich aroma of his favorite morning drink, as with every morning since his coffee machine triggers this brewing process at 6:50 am.
Nearing the end of his morning ritual, that prepares him to enter the world outside, he grabs his mobile phone, connects to his “vehicle app”, and triggers the starting of his car so it will be warmer than the outside temperature of 28 degrees (F) that will greet him on his exit from his suburban home.
Walt leaves the house, catching the morning chill as he walks from his front door to his awaiting SUV. It recognizes him as he reaches for the door handle; because the keys in his pocket triggered the unlocking of the door. He recalls the days when he would have had to reach into his pocket, take out his keys, unlock the door, and put the keys back in his pocket before getting into a cold car, etc. etc. etc.
Instead, he is welcomed by the vehicle’s warmth and comfort as he begins his ten-mile drive to the office. The SXF station is playing his favorite thumbprint music as he buckles his seat belt and shifts his vehicle into reverse. His exit from the driveway is interrupted by the vehicle’s backup warning system that is triggered by a woman who is passing the end of his driveway on her morning run – whew … that was close.
Walt’s drive to work is always the same, but sometimes there is traffic build ups on his normal route, so he always launches his “travel app” to direct him to the route with the least resistance. Walt is not an engineer in any sense of the word, but he is grateful that someone with engineering skills was involved in putting up the traffic light at the end of the cul-de-sac where he lives, because it is always triggered to stop the bustling traffic as he approaches; otherwise, he would be sitting for what would feel like forever until he could cross the busy intersection.
As he approaches the office building parking lot, the smart sticker on his windshield alerts the parking garage barrier gate and it opens to let him in. He proceeds to park his vehicle in the slot assigned to him. He is not sure how it knows that it is his vehicle in the parking slot, but he expects it has something to do with the flat antennas in the ceilings of the parking lot.
His morning process has been deterministic and that’s what keeps him relaxed and readied for another day at Good Products, where his day will be anything but deterministic.
Upon arrival at his office, he sees a sticky note on his door: “Call me when you get in”, signed Ruth. Ruth is the Lead Developer on the new line of products that are behind schedule in their technical specification release to their sourcing factory in Asia. Walt knows that the issue is related to the delay in receiving material samples from a new materials source also in Asia.
As he logs into his computer, he grimly views the dozens of emails that have traveled from the keyboards of co-workers, as well as outside material and testing company contacts. His mind races back to the long night he spent logged in from home pushing his materials management spreadsheets out to his material sources and testing agencies to get them to update their status. He remembers when he used to have nights to himself but working nights at home is more the norm than the exception. At least he can do it from the comfort of his home and not have to remain in the office, as it used to be a decade ago.
Before tackling his inbox, he calls Ruth to hear the latest regarding the delayed flow of materials to her developers. As he waits for her to answer her phone, he brings up the materials management spreadsheets, hoping that they contain the latest updates from the myriad of material and testing contacts he requested updates from last night.
Ruth was pleasant enough, but she is under a lot of pressure, and she needs him to orchestrate the material suppliers and test agencies more effectively because his delays are now her delays; and that will mean delays to factory ordering; which will cause delays in production; which will result in delays in both store and ecommerce delivery; and the push goes on …
Walt logs into their PLM system to see what the status is on the material that Ruth is concerned about and notices that it isn’t the same as the latest spreadsheet. The estimated delivery date of the material sample is a week further out than the supplier’s latest update; so, he updates the data in PLM to align with his latest spreadsheet and with what he just relayed to Ruth.
In checking his email, he notices that a majority of the emails are seeking the latest due dates on material samples, material test results, etc… so he settles into his chair and takes on the time-consuming task of updating the data in PLM to align with the spreadsheets that he was married to for hours last night – as with every night, followed by every day ….
There has GOT to be a BETTER WAY …
He recalls seeing an article in LinkedIn that portrayed a company … Best Products … what was the name of that article? … ahhh … Day in the Life of …
The company being described in that article has a level of process automation that is very much like his alarm clock; his coffee machine; his SUV; his vehicle’s audio system; the traffic light; the parking lot barrier gate …
Walt isn’t sure how that company achieved that level of efficiency in product process operations, but he is bound and determined to see if this can be achieved at Good Products – so he creates a new email, drafts a “why not” message, includes the URL link to the article, and sends it out to the full brand Team, the PLM Administrator, and his IT contact.
There has GOT to be a BETTER WAY … and now is as good a time as any to define and begin that journey … to achieve Digital Solution Group's PLM Based SolutionScape. Tick … tock …
To have a SolutionScape Assessment done (free of charge) today, either fill out the form below or contact brion@digitalsolutiongroup.net (also @ +1-603-566-5382) or mike@digitalsolutiongroup.net.