SAP's recent product lifecycle management (PLM) conference, PLM 2006, was a networking event and solution showcase for strategies and new technologies. Also showcased were solutions for product data and document management, new product development and introduction (NPDI), supplier-sourcing strategies and selection, as well as manufacturing process and quality management. With PLM license revenues of $162 million (USD) during fiscal year 2005, and high expectations for future growth, SAP is motivated to push the PLM suite forward. Consistency is the hallmark of any marketing organization; providing a clear message that resonates with the audience and rings true to the organization which develops the delivery products is an especially admirable characteristic of a software solutions provider in a highly competitive market. SAP consistently provides a message to its clients and prospects which reflects its true PLM vision and intentions. The solutions they provide, to organizations needing software tools to streamline product development and collaboration, correspond to their marketing themes. Of particular interest, and a salient differentiator in their conference approach, is the fact that SAP has woven their PLM product solutions message jointly around the new SAP SCM 5.0 product offerings (xApp Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence, as well as SAP NetWeaver and Enterprise Services Architecture [ESA]). The focal point of this message is the ability of enterprises to leverage SAP technologies for connecting supply chain processes with manufacturing and product lifecycle processes as a near-seamless operation. SAP's ability to present a cohesive solution set is founded on its applications solution maps, and on its product lifecycle management dimensions.
An examination of SAP's mySAP PLM application map illustrates its four dimensions in building-block fashion:

Product and project portfolio management: idea management and concept development, project planning, time and resource management, project execution, and strategic portfolio management. It is also worth examining some key components of this dimension:

* SAP xApp Product Definition (SAP xPD), which addresses the front-end processes for definition and management of ideas, concepts, projects, and products.

* Collaboration Projects (cProjects), which supports phase-based process methodologies; multilevel accounting; and integrations with human resources management (HRM), supplier relationship management (SRM), resource and portfolio management (RPM), financials, document management, and quality management.

* SAP xApp Resource and Portfolio Management (SAP xRPM), which allows for portfolio hierarchies, reviews, prioritization, scoring, and financial impact.

Lifecycle process management: product development, development collaboration and strategic sourcing, prototyping and production ramp-up, sales and service transition, quality engineering, and product costing. Lifecycle process support addresses requirements (as well as functional and product structures), supports virtual teams, and provides one user interface via a workbench for the computer-aided design (CAD) designer and CAD integrations. The web-based SAP PLM collaboration platform, cFolders, provides cross-enterprise processes for enabling virtual teams.

Lifecycle data management: document management, product master and structure management, specification and recipe management, service and maintenance structure management, and change and configuration management. The integrated Document Management System 6.0 (DMS 6.0), in conjunction with a knowledge management and content server, provides a portal for web document access with authorizations, thumbnails, mass change, mass check-in, and digital signatures. The integrated product and process engineering (iPPE) module addresses functional structures, configurables, maintenance structures, and variant configurations.

Corporate services: this uses an Environment, Health, and Safety (EH&S) module for audit and compliance management, hazardous tracking and product stewardship, dangerous goods and waste management, worker health and safety management, and compliance reporting.

These dimensions transcend the three fundamental time horizons (new product development and introduction; maturing of the business model; and service management through to retirement), and are "stacked" over these time horizons, with supply chain management and manufacturing process integration. This provides a clear image of how SAP PLM addresses the complexities of product development through launch, production, service, and retirement. SAP has done a good job of delineating both the business challenges and the information technology (IT) challenges inherent in product lifecycle management.

SAP's recent product lifecycle management (PLM) conference, PLM 2006, was a networking event and solution showcase for strategies and new technologies. Also showcased were solutions for product data and document management, new product development and introduction (NPDI), supplier-sourcing strategies and selection, as well as manufacturing process and quality management. With PLM license revenues of $162 million (USD) during fiscal year 2005, and high expectations for future growth, SAP is motivated to push the PLM suite forward. Consistency is the hallmark of any marketing organization; providing a clear message that resonates with the audience and rings true to the organization which develops the delivery products is an especially admirable characteristic of a software solutions provider in a highly competitive market. SAP consistently provides a message to its clients and prospects which reflects its true PLM vision and intentions. The solutions they provide, to organizations needing software tools to streamline product development and collaboration, correspond to their marketing themes. Of particular interest, and a salient differentiator in their conference approach, is the fact that SAP has woven their PLM product solutions message jointly around the new SAP SCM 5.0 product offerings (xApp Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence, as well as SAP NetWeaver and Enterprise Services Architecture [ESA]). The focal point of this message is the ability of enterprises to leverage SAP technologies for connecting supply chain processes with manufacturing and product lifecycle processes as a near-seamless operation. SAP's ability to present a cohesive solution set is founded on its applications solution maps, and on its product lifecycle management dimensions.
An examination of SAP's mySAP PLM application map illustrates its four dimensions in building-block fashion:

Product and project portfolio management: idea management and concept development, project planning, time and resource management, project execution, and strategic portfolio management. It is also worth examining some key components of this dimension:

* SAP xApp Product Definition (SAP xPD), which addresses the front-end processes for definition and management of ideas, concepts, projects, and products.

* Collaboration Projects (cProjects), which supports phase-based process methodologies; multilevel accounting; and integrations with human resources management (HRM), supplier relationship management (SRM), resource and portfolio management (RPM), financials, document management, and quality management.

* SAP xApp Resource and Portfolio Management (SAP xRPM), which allows for portfolio hierarchies, reviews, prioritization, scoring, and financial impact.

Lifecycle process management: product development, development collaboration and strategic sourcing, prototyping and production ramp-up, sales and service transition, quality engineering, and product costing. Lifecycle process support addresses requirements (as well as functional and product structures), supports virtual teams, and provides one user interface via a workbench for the computer-aided design (CAD) designer and CAD integrations. The web-based SAP PLM collaboration platform, cFolders, provides cross-enterprise processes for enabling virtual teams.

Lifecycle data management: document management, product master and structure management, specification and recipe management, service and maintenance structure management, and change and configuration management. The integrated Document Management System 6.0 (DMS 6.0), in conjunction with a knowledge management and content server, provides a portal for web document access with authorizations, thumbnails, mass change, mass check-in, and digital signatures. The integrated product and process engineering (iPPE) module addresses functional structures, configurables, maintenance structures, and variant configurations.

Corporate services: this uses an Environment, Health, and Safety (EH&S) module for audit and compliance management, hazardous tracking and product stewardship, dangerous goods and waste management, worker health and safety management, and compliance reporting.

These dimensions transcend the three fundamental time horizons (new product development and introduction; maturing of the business model; and service management through to retirement), and are "stacked" over these time horizons, with supply chain management and manufacturing process integration. This provides a clear image of how SAP PLM addresses the complexities of product development through launch, production, service, and retirement. SAP has done a good job of delineating both the business challenges and the information technology (IT) challenges inherent in product lifecycle management.