Creating a Profession for PLM Practitioners

The Home of Professional PLM

The PLM industry needs a recognised, worldwide professional structure for the people who work within it.  The Professional PLM Initiative has been set up to fulfil this need.

The Initiative covers the whole spectrum of what it means to be 'professional' in PLM.  This will be a significant step forward, and will change the way that PLM practitioners work.

The Initiative is inclusive and interactive.  This web site shows the latest developments, and how you can get involved.

International Body of PLM Knowledge

Overview

If we are to establish a PLM Profession then we need to capture, at least in overview, the general Body of Knowledge that exists in the minds of experienced PLM practitioners.  We need to know what PLM practitioners know implicitly, and state it explicitly so that it can be used as a core point of reference.

It seems quite surprising that this has never been done before, and the lack of any such clear Body of Knowledge is a major barrier for new practitioners wanting to learn about PLM.  It also causes problems for experienced managers running mature implementations, who still have to hope that they are not reinventing techniques that may already be in widespread use elsewhere.

Clarity and Visibility

This is a major undertaking, but in one sense it should be reasonably straightforward.  If all PLM practitioners are applying the same implicitly-understood knowledge, then it can be codified and used to define the parameters of skill sets and certification.

However, it is already clear that this will not be the case.  For example, there are differences in understanding and approach between North America and Europe - and when Europe is broken down into countries, there are likely to be many variations from what might be regarded as a 'European' approach.

When you start to think of all the other countries that are applying PLM (India, China, Japan, Mexico, Australia ....), and consider the fact that over 30 countries have engaged in some way with this Initiative, then the picture is likely to become complex.

Creating a clear view of this, by capturing the Body of Knowledge as it exists in all of these countries, will be illuminating and informative.  It will also have follow-on benefits.

International Body of Knowledge

Perhaps PLM is being applied consistently and accurately everywhere in the world.  At the moment, we don't know.  If this is true, then codifying this will make it clear.

If, on the other hand, there are national or regional variations, then the exercise becomes multi-dimensional. Some areas will be common, and there will be strengths and weaknesses.  It will generate the first clear picture of how PLM is being applied around the world; and of how countries can learn from each other by sharing their best practice.

In either case, it will produce an International Body of PLM Knowledge that can make PLM everywhere more productive.

Add Your Input

If you would like to know more, or would like to add your views or comments, you can do so via knowledge@professionalplm.org.