CIMdata PLM Certificate Program For PLM Technologists

CIMdata’s PLM Certificate Program for PLM technologists is intended to ensure that the individuals that participate in a PLM program all have a strong understanding of PLM concepts. The certification program is delivered through a series of education and training sessions. The program is comprised of a series of 3.5-hour and 7-hour seminars, delivered over five (5) consecutive days. The program has been designed to be industry independent and is delivered through a series of lectures, case studies, group exercises, and tests.

CIMdata’s PLM Certificate Program is comprised of 9 core courses that can be given over a five-day period. CIMdata also offers a set of advanced courses for those companies that need to educate their PLM program participants in other important PLM related topics.

Targeted Audience

The target audience for CIMdata’s PLM Certificate Program includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Mid-Level Business Managers
• Program Champions
• Project Leaders
• Business Subject Matter Experts
• IT Managers
• University Instructors
• Postgraduate Students

Targeted Industries

CIMdata’s PLM Certificate Program has been designed to be industry independent. However, industry-specific content (e.g., process discussions, examples, cases studies) can be easily added if the certification is being done for a specific company and/or industry group. In addition, localization is expected and encouraged.

Registration

For registration information, Program fees, hotel reservations and other logistical details, please go to the Variantum Oy website at: www.variantum.com/cimdata/cimdata.php

PLM Certificate Program Outline:

Day	Times	Class
1	8:30 to 16:30	Class 1: Introduction to PLM
2	8:30 to 12:00	Class 2: PLM Benefits and Potential Value
	13:00 to 16:30	Class 3: PLM Strategy & Solution Definition
3	8:30 to 12:00	Class 4: PLM Solution Evaluation & Selection
	13:00 to 16:30	Class 5: PLM Implementation, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
4	8:30 to 12:00	Class 6: PLM Process Development and Testing
	13:00 to 16:30	Class 7: Integrating PLM within the Enterprise
5	8:30 to 12:00	Class 8: Expanding PLM across the Value Chain
	13:00 to 16:30	Class 9: Configuration Management

Core Courses

Class 1: Introduction to PLM

Duration: 1 day
Prerequisite: None
Intent: The scope of this 7-hour session includes the presentation of today’s view and vision of the global PLM market and technologies. The overall intent of the session is to provide a broad overview of the PLM market, including the trends, system architectures, and critical elements of success. This class will include presentations, discussions, and a set of interactive exercises.

Class Outline:
Session Introduction
A discussion of the PLM market status, including recent history, today’s facts and figures, and some market trends that can help an attendee understand the market’s evolution. These include system sources, types of implementations, scope of implementations, sources of investment, etc.

Elements of a PLM Solution
Definition — A definition and description of a PLM solution, what it is and how its various components fit together. This provides a broad definition for PLM, and positions the solutions with regard to other related technologies, such as CAD, software engineering, and ERP/MRP II tools.
Functionality — A description of the functionality required to support PLM. This includes a description of the functional areas that make up typical PLM solutions and a discussion of each of them; what they are and how they work, what they are used to achieve, examples of how they are supported in commercial and in-house designed systems.
Architecture — A discussion of issues related to the architectures of PLM solutions, including distributed system operational requirements, user interfaces, applications interfaces, platform issues, service oriented architectures, etc.

The Expanding Reach of PLM
This discussion introduces PLM’s key expansion areas. These include functional areas of an extended enterprise where PLM has yet to be applied or where PLM has recently begun to show applicable benefits. Some of these areas include: portfolio management, requirements management, digital manufacturing, mechatronics, and analysis and simulation.

An Introduction to the PLM Commercial Landscape
This discussion provides an overview of the commercial landscape for PLM solutions, including a review of leading PLM solutions providers and their offerings. This session will describe today’s ‘mind-share’ PLM solution providers with a specific focus on the PLM suppliers that support the Finnish market.

PLM Benefits
This discussion provides an overview of the types and magnitude of benefits that can be achieved through the proper adoption of a PLM strategy. This session will include the review of a select set of actual benefit examples from various major industrial companies.

Best Practices for PLM Strategy Definition and Solution Selection
This discussion provides a set of high-level guidelines for PLM strategy development, and solution evaluation and selection. Ideally, these best practices help organizations reduce the time it takes to get to implementation, identify and quantify associated risks, and better manage and control project costs.

PLM Deployment, Monitoring, and Continuous Improvement
This discussion provides an overview of the main activities associated with the successful deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement of a PLM solution.

Class 2: PLM Benefits and Potential Value

Duration: 1/2 day
Prerequisite:
Class 1: Introduction to PLM
Intent: This half-day session reviews industry metrics used to measure and monitor the benefits of PLM implementations. Areas of potential PLM benefits will be presented by discussing results achieved by various companies that have implemented PLM. These case studies are taken from published literature and CIMdata’s researched case studies. The focus of the session will be to describe how metrics should be used to help define a company’s PLM strategy, select the most appropriate PLM enabling solutions, define the company’s PLM roadmap, and much more.

Class Outline:

• Potential Benefits of PLM
• Defining and Measuring the Costs of PLM
• Measuring the Value of PLM
• Methods for measuring value (e.g. ROI)
• The importance of metrics
• Introduction to Benefits Appraisal Model
• Using metrics to steer a PLM program
• Select PLM Benefits Case Studies

Class 3: PLM Strategy & Solution Definition

Duration: 1/2 day
Prerequisites:
Class 1: Introduction to PLM
Class 2: PLM Benefits and Potential Value
Intent: This half-day session provides a set of detailed guidelines for PLM strategy development and solution definition. When properly followed, these guidelines will help an organization reduce the time it takes to define and create a PLM solution strategy. 

Class Outline:

• Introduction to PLM Strategy Development
• High-Level Planning
• Defining a Strategy and Tactics
• Defining Business Requirements
• Implementation Strategies
  

Class 4: PLM Solution Evaluation & Selection

Duration: 1/2 day
Prerequisites:
Class 1: Introduction to PLM
Class 3: PLM Strategy & Solution Definition
Intent: This half-day session provides a set of detailed guidelines for evaluating available solutions and selecting an appropriate one to support a company’s PLM strategy. When properly followed, these guidelines will help an organization reduce the time it takes to select the right solution for their organization.

Class Outline:

• Evaluation of Available PLM Solutions
• Selecting an Appropriate PLM Solution
• Development of True Business Requirements
• Development of Technical Requirements.
• How to translate business requirements into technical requirements
• Development of Benchmark Scenarios
• How to Define the Most Appropriate Solutions
• How to Evaluate Solutions Against Requirements.

Class 5: PLM Implementation, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

Duration: 1/2 day
Prerequisites:
Class 1: Introduction to PLM
Class 2: PLM Benefits and Potential Value
Class 3: PLM Strategy and Solution Definition    
Intent: This half-day session provides a set of detailed guidelines for implementing and evolving a PLM environment. When properly followed, these best practices will help an organization reduce the time it takes to identify and quantify associated risks and better manage and control project costs from the project concept phase through implementation and organizational adoption.

Class Outline:

• Initiation and Planning of the Deployment Project
• Organizing the Program
• Key Roles and Responsibilities
• Project Management Practice Areas
• Scope
• Risk
• Quality Assurance
• Others as appropriate.
• Program Execution and Control
• Monitoring and Improving the Program
• Transition to On-going Support and Evolution
  

Class 6: PLM Process Development and Testing

Duration: 1/2 day
Prerequisites:
Class 1: Introduction to PLM
Class 2: PLM Benefits and Potential Value
Class 3: PLM Strategy and Solution Definition
Class 4: PLM Solution Evaluation & Selection
Class 5: PLM Implementation, Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
Intent: This half-day session provides an understanding of how to best define, implement, and continuously improve PLM-enabled processes. The session will also present best practices for testing the process enabling PLM solution.

Class Outline:

• Introduction
• Refinement of Process Requirements
• Development of Process Flows and Use Cases
• System Testing (software development lifecycles and the type of testing required, user acceptance testing, test management, etc.)
• Process Ownership and Continuous Improvement

Class 7: Integrating PLM within the Enterprise

Duration: 1/2 day
Prerequisites:
Class 1: Introduction to PLM
Class 2: PLM Benefits and Potential Value
Class 3: PLM Strategy and Solution Definition
Class 5: PLM Implementation, Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
Intent: This half-day session focuses on PLM’s role within an enterprise’s overall information technology architecture (both process and data) and how to best approach (e.g. via the implementation of a service oriented architecture) the integration of various PLM solutions, especially PDM technologies, with other enterprise IT systems such as ERP, CRM, etc.

Class Outline:

• Introduction
• The Typical Enterprise IT Landscape
• PLM’s Role in an Enterprise IT Landscape
• Integration Approaches that Work
• Other Issues to Consider
  

Class 8: Expanding PLM across the Value Chain

Duration: 1/2 day
Prerequisites:
Class 1: Introduction to PLM
Intent: This half-day session will cover the next steps in implementing PLM beyond a company’s four walls, to its supplier community and partner community, providing access to its customers, to other functional areas outside of engineering and manufacturing operations, and distribute operations across the broader enterprise.

Class Outline:

• Defining the Value Chain
• Types of Expansion
• Essential Issues for each Type
• Priorities and Steps for Expansion

Class 9: Configuration Management

Duration: 1/2 day
Prerequisites:
Class 1: Introduction to PLM
Intent: This half-day session defines configuration management and how PLM can be used to enable it. The session provides an understanding of the various PLM-related configuration management elements such as configuration items, options & variants, change management, and effectivity, and how a PLM solution can be used to support them. The session also includes the review of a set of configuration management best practices and industry examples.

Class Outline:

• Configuration Management Defined
• Processes and Related Requirements
• Best Practices Guidelines
• Industry Examples

Advanced Topics

In addition to the core classes, as described above, the PLM Certification Program can be extended with additional ½-day classes on advanced topics. Upon request any of these classes can be included in the program. The available advanced topics include:

• Requirements Management
• Systems Engineering and Mechatronics
• PLM and Cultural Change Management
• Product Portfolio Management (Strategic Product Planning)
• Data Modeling within PLM
• Classification and Data Search and Retrieve
• Enterprise Product Planning
• Enterprise Simulation Planning
• Advanced CM (CMII)
• Enterprise Simulation Management
• Collaborative Development
• Enterprise Content Management
• Security and IP Management
• Asset Management
• Maintenance Repair and Overhaul/Operations (MRO)
• Strategic Sourcing
• PLM in a Specification Driven Industry
• Digital Manufacturing
• PDM to PLM Transition Planning
• The PLM Commercial Landscape
• The Expanding Reach of PLM

The scope of these half-day educational sessions and discussions includes: scope and definition of the topic and presentations of selected solution providers and their solutions. These sessions will also include the review of a number of industrial case studies and a set of interactive exercises. Overall, these classes will include presentations, discussions, one or more case studies, and a set of interactive exercises.