The Digital Battle — Will PLM or ALM Drive the Future of Product Lifecycle Management?

ALM and PLM may be driven by different demands, but both have the same end goal in mind- to meet consumer demand.  But what does the future of product lifecycle management really look like? In this episode, Thom Singer and Craig Brown welcome back Digital Enterprise Society Content Trustee Mark Pendergast for another digital battle, this time debating whether PLM or ALM is the driver for the future of product lifecycle management. With a history in ALM Craig has the insider’s perspective on all things application while Mark takes on the role of defender of PLM.  They discuss the limitations and advancements of each, and come to a surprising agreement at the end of the battle that proves that the future of product lifecycle management is headed in one direction- forward.    On today’s podcast, you will learn: Defining application lifecycle management ALM refers to the management of an application that is delivered to a customer.  The app can have a relatively short or very extensive lifespan.  ALM is driven by consumer demand for new services while PLM is driven by product demand.  ALM is perceived as a new process while PLM has been around for centuries.    Do limitations stem from systems or management?  Why doesn’t hardware run at the speed of software? It starts with atoms and electrons. PLM the philosophy and PLM the tool are not running at the same level.  ALM plans are virtual, allowing for increased ease of use in any environment.  Hardware testing requires constant building and breaking, which is time intensive.  By embracing digitalization, the building and breaking can happen with electrons and speed up the process.  Until management demands faster hardware, change is just not going to happen.    The philosophy and the tool that is PLM  PLM the philosophy refers to managing products from beginning to end and includes ALM, finance, procurement, and parts sourcing.  PLM the tool grew up organically with CAD vaulting.  PLM tools were architected to the PLM philosophical vision.  The philosophy says everything is PLM while the implementation has not yet achieved the promise.    Will PLM and ALM ever merge into a combined approach?  The two are already merging slowly, which is going to be necessary in the future.  According to Craig, one vaulting solution won’t solve both camps.  According to Mark, the effort to get to the combined solution is going to be the same effort that ALM already did once.  Too many vendors are lacking the vision that structures PLM as a whole, rather it’s a limited jigsaw puzzle that prevents ALM and PLM from effectively combining.    Solutions and predictions for PLM and ALM… and BPM  Mark defines BPM as the tool that will talk to both PLM and ALM and get whatever is needed to get the job done.  Business process modeling is the solution that will include products, applications and services.  A look at the past shows that tools have been created at the right pace to keep up with demand, and at the pace that management has allowed it to move.    Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.