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.

                    Neutral PLM Syllabus

          Documenting the PLM Practitioner's Skills

If there is to be a formalised profession for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) practitioners, then there must be a written and agreed definition of the skills and expertise that a practitioner needs to achieve.

At present, there is no neutral or independent definition of this.  Every educational establishment or training provider creates their own course material, with no reference to any kind of standard scope or depth.

This is not the fault of the training providers - it is simply the consequence of a general lack of industry coordination - but it means that PLM practitioners have to guess, to some extent, what kind of training they need and where they can get it from.

Gaining agreement about the Body of Knowledge and standards of performance can only be achieved by discussion.  The Working Group of the Professional PLM Initiative has therefore produced this draft of a Neutral PLM Syllabus as a starting point.

Interested stakeholders from any part of the world are invited to give feedback and advice, which will be incorporated to develop this PLM Practitioner Syllabus into a future agreed standard.

If you would like to add your views, you can download a copy of the Syllabus via the link above, and send your comments and ideas to syllabus@professionalplm.org.  We will then keep you informed as the Syllabus develops towards its next revision.