Product Lifecycle  >  PLM

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Product lifecycle Management Video

What is PLM?

Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC) is a process used by organizations to develop, design, and bring new products to the market. The PDLC process consists of several stages, each with its own set of activities, deliverables, and objectives. The stages typically include:

  • Idea Generation: This stage involves brainstorming and gathering ideas for potential new products.
  • Concept Development: In this stage, the organization evaluates the potential ideas and selects the most promising ones for further development.
  • Design and Development: This stage involves creating the product design and developing prototypes to test and refine the product.
  • Testing and Validation: In this stage, the organization tests the product to ensure that it meets quality and performance standards.
  • Launch: This stage involves introducing the product to the market and promoting it to customers.
  • Post-launch: This stage involves monitoring the product's performance, gathering customer feedback, and making improvements as necessary.

The PDLC process is a structured, iterative approach to developing new products, helping organizations to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and increase the likelihood of success in the marketplace.

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Challenges while using Spreadsheets for Product Lifecycle Management

Traditionally, spreadsheets were used to manage the product lifecycle. Excel is simple to use, flexible, and familiar to business users. But it has several limitations as it is not designed for product lifecycle management (PLM) and can present several challenges when used for this purpose. Some of the main challenges include:

Limited Functionality

Limited Functionality

Excel is not designed for managing complex product data, making it difficult to track and manage all aspects of product development and lifecycle.

Data Integrity

Data Integrity

Excel lacks the necessary data validation and data integrity checks, which can result in incorrect or inconsistent data.

Collaboration

Collaboration

Excel does not provide real-time collaboration and version control, making it difficult for multiple stakeholders to work together on the same data set.

Limited Scalability

Limited Scalability

Excel's limited scalability makes it difficult to manage large amounts of data, which can result in reduced efficiency and increased errors.

Lack of Automation

Lack of Automation

Excel does not provide automation capabilities, which can result in increased manual effort and errors.

Security

Security

Excel files can easily be lost, stolen, or manipulated, making it difficult to ensure data security and compliance.

Using Excel for PLM can lead to data inconsistencies, reduced efficiency, increased errors, and security issues. To overcome these challenges, organizations should consider implementing a dedicated PLM solution that is designed to manage complex product data, provide collaboration and automation capabilities, and ensure data security and compliance.

Further, product development requires overwhelming documentation - from 1983 to 2017, the number of pages in design files for a 510(k) submission increased by >2,000%. Extensive documentation can inhibit efficiency, leading to delays, mistakes, and non-compliances. For teams using paper systems or spreadsheets maintaining proper documentation including signatures and revisions can quickly become a nightmare.

  • Limited Functionality

    Limited Functionality

    Excel is not designed for managing complex product data, making it difficult to track and manage all aspects of product development and lifecycle.

  • Data Integrity

    Data Integrity

    Excel lacks the necessary data validation and data integrity checks, which can result in incorrect or inconsistent data.

  • Collaboration

    Collaboration

    Excel does not provide real-time collaboration and version control, making it difficult for multiple stakeholders to work together on the same data set.

  • Limited Scalability

    Limited Scalability

    Excel's limited scalability makes it difficult to manage large amounts of data, which can result in reduced efficiency and increased errors.

  • Lack of Automation

    Lack of Automation

    Excel does not provide automation capabilities, which can result in increased manual effort and errors.

  • Security

    Security

    Excel files can easily be lost, stolen, or manipulated, making it difficult to ensure data security and compliance.

Using Excel for PLM can lead to data inconsistencies, reduced efficiency, increased errors, and security issues. To overcome these challenges, organizations should consider implementing a dedicated PLM solution that is designed to manage complex product data, provide collaboration and automation capabilities, and ensure data security and compliance.

Further, product development requires overwhelming documentation - from 1983 to 2017, the number of pages in design files for a 510(k) submission increased by >2,000%. Extensive documentation can inhibit efficiency, leading to delays, mistakes, and non-compliances. For teams using paper systems or spreadsheets maintaining proper documentation including signatures and revisions can quickly become a nightmare.

Advantages of using a PLM software

A Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system provides numerous benefits to organizations involved in product development and manufacturing.

Firstly, PLM systems enable companies to manage their entire product lifecycle from ideation to retirement in a centralized and efficient manner, resulting in better collaboration, increased transparency, and reduced time-to-market.

Secondly, PLM systems help organizations maintain product quality and compliance by tracking product specifications, certifications, and regulatory requirements throughout the product's lifecycle.

Thirdly, PLM systems allow companies to reduce costs and improve productivity by eliminating manual processes, reducing errors, and automating routine tasks.

Fourthly, PLM systems provide real-time visibility into the status of product development and manufacturing processes, enabling companies to quickly identify and address issues.

Finally, PLM systems can help companies stay competitive by enabling them to innovate quickly and efficiently, respond to changing market conditions, and meet customer demands for personalized and sustainable products.

advantages of using a PLM software

Design Process and Quality System Development Tools in Product Lifecycle

why quality management is important for PLM

Why is quality management important for PLM?

Quality Management and PLM are closely related and complementary systems that work together to improve product quality and performance. Quality Management System provides a framework for managing quality throughout the product lifecycle, while PLM provides a comprehensive approach to managing the product lifecycle from conception to retirement.

The integration of these two processes is important because it ensures that quality is built into every stage of the product development and manufacturing process. Quality management system helps define quality objectives, establish quality standards, and ensure that those standards are met throughout the product lifecycle. PLM provides a centralized platform for managing product information, processes, and workflows, which allows organizations to design and manufacture products more efficiently and effectively.

By integrating the two, organizations can achieve greater visibility and control over their product development and manufacturing processes. While one provides a feedback loop that enables organizations to continuously improve their products, PLM provides a platform for capturing and integrating that feedback into the product development process. This helps to ensure that quality is maintained throughout the product lifecycle, resulting in better products, higher customer satisfaction, and a stronger competitive position.

What are the regulatory requirements regarding PLM?

In many industries such as medical devices, regulatory compliance is a critical consideration throughout the product lifecycle. PLM software can play a significant role in ensuring that organizations meet regulatory requirements and comply with industry standards.

PLM software can assist organizations in meeting regulatory compliance requirements by providing a centralized system for managing product data and documentation. PLM software can also help organizations to maintain traceability, ensuring that they can track products through the entire lifecycle, from design to disposal.

In some industries such as medical devices, the manufacturers are also expected to maintain a Living Record, which is a set of information that continues to develop in a process. Quality system living record examples include:

A PLM makes maintaining such documents easy, improving compliance.

Another benefit of PLM software in regulatory compliance is the ability to automate compliance checks. The software can alert users to potential compliance issues and flag products that do not meet regulatory requirements.

To ensure regulatory compliance, organizations should look for PLM software that is designed to meet industry-specific regulations and standards. They should also ensure that the software can be easily configured to meet their specific compliance requirements and that it integrates with other systems, such as quality management and document control software. By using PLM software to manage regulatory compliance, organizations can reduce the risk of non-compliance, improve efficiency, and enhance product quality.

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Features to look for in a PLM software

A PLM software should have several key features to effectively manage the product development and manufacturing process. Some of these features include:

Audit
Product Data Management (PDM)

The ability to manage and control product data, including CAD files, bill of materials, specifications, and other product-related information.

Product Configuration Management
Product Configuration Management

The ability to manage and control product configurations, including variants, options, and dependencies.

Workflow Management
Workflow Management

The ability to manage and control product development and manufacturing workflows, including task assignments, notifications, and approvals.

Collaboration
Collaboration

The ability to facilitate collaboration and communication among team members and stakeholders across the product lifecycle.

Change Management
Change Management

The ability to manage and control changes to product data, configurations, and workflows, including change requests, impact analysis, and approvals.

Analytics and Reporting
Analytics and Reporting

The ability to generate real-time analytics and reports on product development and manufacturing processes, including key performance indicators, compliance, and quality metrics.

Integration
Integration

The ability to integrate with other systems and applications, such as ERP, CRM, and CAD.

Why choose ComplianceQuest Salesforce-based PLM?

A Salesforce-based PLM system such as ComplianceQuest offers organizations a reliable, scalable, and secure platform that can help streamline product development and manufacturing processes, resulting in increased efficiency, improved quality, and reduced costs. It offers several advantages to organizations involved in product development and manufacturing:

  • Familiar User Interface

    Salesforce is a widely used and familiar platform, which can help reduce training time and increase user adoption of the PLM system.

  • Integration

    Salesforce-based PLM systems can easily integrate with other Salesforce applications such as CRM and ERP systems, resulting in better data management and more efficient processes.

  • Scalability

    Salesforce-based PLM systems can easily scale to meet the changing needs of an organization as it grows and evolves.

  • Cloud-based

    Salesforce-based PLM systems are cloud-based, which offers flexibility and accessibility from anywhere with an internet connection.

  • Security

    Salesforce is a highly secure platform, which provides peace of mind that data is protected from cyber threats.

  • Customization

    Salesforce-based PLM systems are highly customizable, allowing organizations to tailor the system to their specific needs and requirements.

  • Support

    ComplianceQuest, being a Salesforce-based PLM system, offers access to Salesforce's extensive support resources and community, which can provide assistance and best practices for system optimization.

A company that truly cares

We have been working closely with ComplianceQuest for over a year now, and what impresses me the most, is their professionalism and patience and how much they really care that we are successful. I would have given 10 stars but there were only five.

We have developed some out of the box functionality with our incoming inspection process, and the ComplianceQuest team listened very carefully to our requirements, and provided insightful recommendations. We were easily able to customize the look and feel of the interface which made it user friendly for our inspectors.

The support team always make themselves available and I certainly appreciated all the quick 10 minute online meetings ‘just to make sure’ everything was okay. Thank you to ComplianceQuest for making this a fun project and I look forward to working closely with Gova and Nikki and their team as we introduce non-conformance, SCAR, Production Part Approval Process, Deviations, Audit, and Supplier Portal into our system.

Alastair Henderson,
Project Manager

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What is the advantage of integrated QMS and PLM in supply chain management?

Improved Collaboration

PLM software enables manufacturers to collaborate with suppliers and other stakeholders on product design, development, and delivery. With PLM software, manufacturers can share product data, specifications, and changes in real-time, reducing the risk of errors and misunderstandings.

Enhanced Visibility

PLM software provides real-time visibility into product data, enabling manufacturers to track products through the supply chain and identify potential issues before they become problems. This can help to reduce lead times, improve delivery times, and reduce the risk of stockouts.

Reduced Costs

PLM software can help to reduce costs by improving supply chain efficiency, reducing inventory levels, and minimizing waste. By automating processes and streamlining workflows, PLM software can help to reduce the time and effort required to manage the supply chain, freeing up resources for other tasks.

Improved Quality

PLM software can help to improve product quality by providing a centralized system for managing product data, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the most up-to-date information. This can help to reduce errors and defects and improve customer satisfaction.

With the integrated software, manufacturers can improve supply chain management by enabling better collaboration, enhanced visibility, reduced costs, and improved product quality.

How does CQ enable the integration of quality with the product development process?

ComplianceQuest (CQ) integrates quality management and PLM by providing a comprehensive platform that allows organizations to manage quality and compliance throughout the product lifecycle. The integration of quality management and PLM within the CQ platform is achieved through several key features, including:

  • Product Quality Planning: CQ provides a module for defining and managing product quality plans, which ensures that quality is built into every stage of the product development process.
  • Change Management: CQ's change management module allows organizations to manage product changes, including change requests, impact analysis, and approvals, while ensuring that quality standards are maintained throughout the process.
  • Nonconformance Management: CQ provides a module for managing nonconformances, which allows organizations to identify and correct quality issues as they arise.
  • Audit Management: CQ's audit management module allows organizations to manage internal and external audits, ensuring that quality and compliance standards are met.
  • Risk Management: CQ provides a module for managing risk throughout the product lifecycle, which helps organizations identify and mitigate risks that could impact product quality.
  • Document Management: CQ's document management module allows organizations to manage product-related documents, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the latest information.

By integrating quality management and PLM within the CQ platform, organizations can improve product quality, reduce costs, and comply with regulatory requirements. The platform provides a centralized and unified approach to managing quality and compliance throughout the product lifecycle, resulting in better products, higher customer satisfaction, and a stronger competitive position.

This is enabled by CQ PLM + QMS features including:

  • Design Controls: Allow your teams to innovate with effortless compliance to all quality and regulatory standards
  • Projects: Collaboration made easy for both engineering and quality teams with intuitive meeting and task management
  • DHF & DMR: A single source of truth for all your design documentation, that's always up to date
  • Document Management: All steps, requirements, design reviews, and changes are well documented, easily shareable, and fully compliant.
  • Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM): Living document that keeps track of all your design requirements, inputs, tests, and changes
  • Product Risk: Assess, document, and control all your product-related risks in one comprehensive interface

A QMS-integrated design process provides the following benefits

  • Fully Connected
  • 100% real-time visibility
  • Completely traceable

Implementing a Salesforce-based PLM system like ComplianceQuest can help you streamline your business operations, minimize costs, increase efficiency, and improve your chances of being successful in the marketplace.

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