Chapter 3 Saurav Dhyani

1. What are the characteristics of PLM? Why are these characteristics important?
OR
2. What are the characteristics of PLM? What is the impact that these characteristics make on an
organization.
OR
3. How do various characteristics of PLM manifest themselves in the PLM applications?
OR
4. List the impact of the way in which information is organized in today’s organizations. Discuss any
two in detail.
OR
5. List out the characteristics of PLM. Explain any TWO of them with their impact on Productivity.

• PLM should have the following characteristics/aspects to fully represent the information to the end user:-
– Singularity
– Correspondence
– Cohesion
– Traceability
– Reflectiveness
– Cued Availability

The elements of today’s product information being Siloed, Ad hoc, Duplicative & inconsistent causes tremendous
wastage of time, energy & material with a corresponding amount of additional cost & inefficiency for the
organization.

For this reason PLM has substantial benefits because it reduces the waste of time, energy & material that duplication
& inconsistency of information causes in a functional area.

6. Write short notes on following characteristics of PLM:

1. Singularity
2. Cohesion
3. Reflective ness

Singularity
• Singularity within PLM is defined as having one unique & controlling version of product data.
• Unique term means exclusive.
• Controlling implies that when we have two or more unique data representations, the one we all agree is the
correct one that everybody will work with.
• Singularity of data pertains to formal designs & plans.
• More complex & Voluminous the design & plans are, more Difficult & Costly it is to duplicate them.
• Development of Computer Technology has added to lack of singularity as now large and complex data can
be duplicated at minimal cost and effort
• There can be multiple copies which vary slightly with each copy because small but significant changes
have been made between each copy
• Lack of information singularity is a major source of wasted time, energy and material
• Software applications of PLM must have, as a fundamental characteristics, the ability to manage the
singularity of product data.
• PLM systems must identify the controlling product data.

Cohesion
• Cohesion refers to the fact that there are going to be different representations or views of a product
information depending on our perspective of the product

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• In a geometric shape views of hidden surfaces and cross sections will be cohesive because they are derived
from geometric definitions
• If we want to mirror the products functionality in virtual space (recording the product data) we need
cohesion between different views
• One way to obtain cohesiveness is to reduce the number of independent views

Reflectiveness
• Reflectiveness captures data and information from real space in to virtual space
• In real space any modification will be visible in the physical object
• We need a system to change the information in virtual space when the corresponding information changes
in the real space
• The purpose of reflectiveness is to allow us to substitute the correct information for wasted time, energy
and material
• To examine and extract the information from virtual space is less expensive
• This also helps us to track “as – built” products to check if a specific component has been use in a specific
product

7. Write short notes on following characteristics of PLM:

• Correspondence
• Traceability
• Cued Availability

Correspondence
• Correspondence refers to the tight linkage between a physical object – Component, Part or product – and
the data and information about the physical object
• Geometric data is embodied in physical objects and we extract this data using tools and methodologies
• In the second case, while designing, we define the geometric shape and then manufacture the product
• In both cases a core characteristics of PLM is developing and maintaining a correspondence between the
physical object and the information about this object
• One reason is that if we do not separate and maintain the information about the product, we must spend
time and energy and material to get it
• Example – If we want to find that a particular model fuel pump is fitted in a helicopter or not – one method
is to open all engines to check it and the other is by maintaining a correspondence between the helicopter
and the part which is fitted
• The second reason is that in absence of correspondence to find the data information will be by actually
possessing the physical object
• This again leads to wastage and inefficiency

Traceability
• Traceability is a ability to demonstrate the path of a product’s travel through time can be followed
seamlessly back to its origin
• In case of lack of traceability we can not determine which successful version was and which the
unsuccessful version of our previous efforts
• If this is not followed, it leads to the wastage of time, energy and material
• Traceability can be ensured by proper documentation, however humans are not very good at documentation
and is sketchy
• Further this documentation is costly to produce and may be misplaced, lost or destroyed
• Once information is moved in to virtual space, it can be backed up so that it is not destroyed
• Traceability is also built in to the process of documentation creation

Cued Availability
• Cued availability is being able to have the right information and processes when we need them
• We might or might not be searching for this information and processes, but because of the situation we are
presented with them

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• For information to be worth the value of its capture, processing and storage, it has to replace wasted time,
energy and material and not merely confirm that the time, energy and material was actually wasted
• Modern technology and search engines enable us to effectively search the unstructured information
• Developing the appropriate triggers and cues will be the focus of PLM in future

8. What do you understand by ‘Information Silos’? How does it affect productivity? Explain with the
help of a neat diagram.

• Concepts of Information Silos

– Present Organization Structure is divided in to Functional areas.
– People are more productive when a task can be divided in to functional activities.
– People can then specialize in their respective functions.

• There is a cost attached to such specialization.

• The information becomes isolated principally contained within the same functional areas.
• Some of this information may be localized & only of interest to the functional experts
• There is also other information that is very essential for other functional areas but remains unshared.

• Figure represents the state of information within current organization.

• Information is organized by function.
• Such functional areas have all the information about product & processes that reflects the needs of such
areas.
• Corporate – wide focus on product information is exception, not the rule

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