In Stay Sharp Episode 110, Starting Smart: PLM, MES, and Winning Digital Engineering Implementation, co-hosts Jonathan Scott and Juliann Grant are joined by frequent guest Derek Neiding, Razorleaf’s VP of Business Development. With decades of experience talking with customers about implementing digital engineering platforms, Derek is the perfect choice for a discussion on the pros and cons of different implementation approaches. But the trio make clear at the outset that there’s no single right way to get started with any business system, there’s only what might suit your organization best.
Starting with the Software
While it’s tempting to leap right into your newly installed or accessible platform, because you want to show results quickly, Derek cautions this often means you’re starting without a vision for the implementation or a process for getting there. Without those, “Oftentimes the system starts to mirror current processes, which in some cases is good. But in some cases, the system has different and better ways to do things,” Derek says. “Maybe you’re not taking advantage of everything that the system could offer.” Jonathan adds, “If you go too fast, you may miss the path you needed to be on. Because you didn’t even think about the path.”
Another possible outcome of starting without a vision and plan is that you might create some results or success for one part of the company but not provide anything useful to other teams. Those teams could then become less interested in the system, because there hasn’t been any alignment or communication about how phase one moves to phase two and so on. That’s why stepping back and defining a company-wide vision for the new system can be critical. It’s also important to evaluate your processes as you look at a new system, because you might find the new platform will help you do things better or more efficiently. Derek notes, “I’ve often said that if your processes are lousy, when you put a PLM system in that helps to automate processes, it just helps you get lousy processes done faster.”
Process Analysis Upfront
Analyzing upfront is a good way to start, Derek believes, though you have to be careful to avoid analysis paralysis. “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good,” he says, and make sure you timebox those analysis efforts. It’s also important to consider that, these days, implementation is a gradual, progressive activity—more an agile approach than a waterfall approach. Though Derek is a proponent of upfront planning, he doesn’t mean you need to plan every step for the next 10 years. Instead, you should plan for the short term and know what’s on your radar long term. Jonathan agrees, “That’s a roadmap. It’s not a detailed plan, not a detailed architecture, not all figured out. But this is where I think I’m going. And let me back up enough to know, here are the couple of exits on the highway I need to watch out for, I need to be careful of, I need to make sure I’m taking.” Just don’t get too granular with your needs, because your process could also change depending on the capabilities of the new software.
It’s especially critical to know what you need out of a system before you start comparing systems to decide what to buy. As exciting as the idea of a software bakeoff is, if you haven’t analyzed your processes and needs yet, you don’t actually know yet what to evaluate. Derek’s analogy is if you need to buy a pickup truck, you need to know if you’re going to the grocery store for food or moving a household cross-country. You have to know what you’re trying to accomplish—and once you know what you need to do with the software, your decision of which software to choose often becomes more obvious. Jonathan points out that in the end, sometimes system choice doesn’t even matter, because it’s not the software itself that’s most important, but what it can do for your organization. “This isn’t a one size fits all. There are different approaches, and we have to align the approach with our culture and our company’s maturity,” Derek says.
Learn More About Getting Your Digital Engineering Implementation Started
The full podcast contains more discussion and details on a variety of topics, including the difference between proof of concept, pilot, and quick start and when to use each; what consultants will (and won’t) know and how that can help your implementation; how your plan could be comprised of pieces from every different approach; and more.
Be sure to check out Stay Sharp Episode 110: Starting Smart: PLM, MES, and Winning Digital Engineering Implementation and join us each week for a new podcast.
Follow the Razorleaf Podcast, Stay Sharp in Digital Engineering on:
