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www.johnstark.com |
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People often ask if they should buy an off-the-shelf EDM/PDM system or a system that can be tailored to meet their particular needs. Generally they have heard about the comparative advantages and disadvantages from system vendors. The sales arguments generally run along the following lines. Off-the-shelf systems can be purchased and implemented quickly. The systems are mass-produced and aimed at the mass market, so they are relatively cheap, they work, and they can be used immediately. They are used by many companies, so a site visit can be arranged to show the system in action. The disadvantage of an off-the-shelf system is that it may not correspond exactly to a particular company's needs. It may not be powerful enough to handle all the company's data, it may not have all the functionality that is required, or it may not allow the company to carry out its processes exactly as it did in the past. A tailored system fits perfectly to a particular company's needs. It handles the types and volumes of data the company uses. It has precisely the functionality the company needs. Its workflow functions correspond exactly to the way the company wants to work. The disadvantage of a tailored and unique system is that it is built expressly to the company's requirements. This takes time, so the system is not available immediately. It also requires development effort, so the system is not as cheap as an off-the-shelf system. Since the system is unique there's no way, prior to purchase, to visit a company and see it being used. Clearly, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types of system, but rather than going into more detail about their relative merits, let's look at the problem from the user point of view. Among the questions that users have asked us recently have been - 'Is it really possible to buy an off-the-shelf EDM/PDM system?', and 'Does anyone really want an EDM/PDM system? Don't people really want solutions to solve data management problems and improve product development performance?' This leads to the question 'Is it possible to buy an off-the-shelf EDM/PDM solution?' The answer has be 'No'. There's much more to an EDM/PDM solution than just installing an EDM/PDM system. An EDM/PDM solution is developed to meet a particular need. It will be used for many years, and will have a wide-ranging scope. It has to meet an objective and targets such as reducing product development cycles. An EDM/PDM solution does not involve only buying an EDM/PDM system and using it for a few months. Among the activities that take place when introducing an EDM/PDM solution are: - gaining EDM/PDM awareness, identifying potential systems, understanding how they work, analyzing the costs and benefits of each system, selecting a system, installing it, implementing the system so that it meets the product, process and information needs of the company, training the users, integrating the system with the company's other systems, using the system, and so on. Looked at from this perspective it's clear that there's no such thing as an off-the-shelf EDM/PDM solution. It's not possible to buy an EDM/PDM system that does all of the above. In the future of course, it may be that EDM/PDM systems provide the complete infrastructure for the Engineering environment, and do respond to all the components of a solution, but we're not at that stage yet. Even within the overall context of the partial EDM/PDM solution of today, the EDM/PDM system itself plays a relatively minor part. The rest of the solution is very company-specific. So, going back to the original question, even if an off-the-shelf system could be bought, most of the solution would still have to be company-specific. By focusing too much on the argument about the advantages and disadvantages of off-the-shelf, as opposed to tailored, EDM/PDM systems, users are missing the main issue, which is that their particular company needs an effective EDM/PDM solution. Whether this involves use of a system that claims to be off-the-shelf, or one that is tailorable, doesn't matter provided that the system meets the company's needs. In some industry sectors, EDM/PDM needs are already well-known and relatively standard, so companies in these sectors will find that many EDM/PDM systems either meet or come close to meeting their needs. EDM/PDM vendors have had time to develop basic systems that fit the 'average' requirements of these industries. In other industry sectors, a company, particularly if it is the first company in the sector to get into EDM/PDM, may find that none of the EDM/PDM systems on the market offers appropriate functionality. Whether or not a company finds an appropriate off-the-shelf EDM/PDM system also depends greatly on its processes, computer systems, organization and current approach to data management. A company is more likely to find a suitable off-the-shelf system if its workflow is simple, and its processes are not too complicated. The initial systems that were developed only had basic workflow management functionality, but this is sufficient for the many organizations that have straightforward processes. A company is more likely to find a suitable off-the-shelf system if the other computer systems it uses are widely used by many companies. For example, many EDM/PDM systems have tight interfaces to one or more CAD/CAM systems, but most of these interfaces have been built to one of a small number of popular CAD/CAM systems. Companies using one of these CAD/CAM systems are likely to find that the vendor of an off-the-shelf system has developed an interface to their system. Off-the-shelf EDM/PDM system vendors are not interested in investing heavily in building interfaces to CAD/CAM systems with few users. A company is more likely to find a suitable off-the-shelf system if its geographical organization is simple. Few systems can manage truly distributed data on multiple sites in several countries. Most off-the-shelf systems perform best when they are used on single sites. A company is more likely to find a suitable off-the-shelf system if its organization is well-structured and clearly defined. It can be difficult enough for a well-organized company to define its requirements clearly, and select a corresponding system. If there's an overlap of warring departments, each with its own uncoordinated requirements, it will be almost impossible to find a ready-to-use system. A company is more likely to find a suitable off-the-shelf system if it has little exchange of data with customers and vendors. Exchange of data is often very company-specific, so if data is exchanged with several vendors customization will probably be needed. A company is more likely to find a suitable off-the-shelf system if it has already gained control of its engineering information. If, however, it is not clear who owns which data elements, and for example, there is multiple and inconsistent definition of each data element, then it's unlikely that an off-the-shelf system will give good results. |