Why ALM And PLM Need Each Other - BCT Technology AG
Why ALM and PLMneed each otherThis paper analyzes the differences and similarities between application lifecyclemanagement (ALM) and product lifecycle management (PLM). It examines whyALM cannot be used for PLM and why PLM cannot be used for ALM, and details thereasons why the two solutions need to work together.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Softwarewww.siemens.com/plm
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherContentsExecutive summary.3PLM and ALM – Defining the systems.4What is PLM?.4What is ALM?.4Comparing ALM and PLM lifecycle phases.5ALM phases.5PLM phases.5Similarities and differences of PLM and ALM.6Parts versus files.6Browser-based collaboration.6Lean manufacturing and agile software development.6PLM traceability versus ALM traceability.6Version control versus change management.8ALM and PLM similarities and differences.8Key takeaways.9Software in the product manufacturing process. 10Key takeaways. 10The need to marry PLM and ALM. 11Summary. 12A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software2
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherExecutive summarySoftware is quickly surpassing hardware’s dominance in theproduct development process, particularly within technologically complex products and industries such as automotive,aerospace and defense, and medical device manufacturing.Technology manufacturers have typically turned to productlifecycle management (PLM) solutions to accelerate time-tomarket, make the process more efficient, improve collaboration and adhere to regulatory compliance requirements.However, traditional PLM systems have typically managedsoftware as a “part” in the context of the product manufacturing process and have struggled with the management ofsoftware’s complex development processes. Software has itsown distinct lifecycle – with different information to be managed, different collaboration processes and methodologies,different specifications and items – a lifecycle that has historically been insufficiently addressed by traditional PLMsolutions.To successfully deliver high-quality software-driven productsto the marketplace, manufacturers must go beyond theirconventional standalone PLM or ALM system. They mustactively seek out an integrated solution that allows for acomplete set of product requirements including hardware andsoftware, and supports the multi-disciplinary collaborationneeded to ensure end-to-end management of software components as well as the hardware components.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software3
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherPLM and ALM – Defining the systemsWhat is PLM?PLM is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its conception, through design and manufacture, toservice and disposal. PLM integrates people, data, processesand business systems and provides a product informationbackbone for companies and their extended enterprise.PLM systems help organizations cope with the increasingcomplexity and engineering challenges of developing newproducts for global competitive markets by shortening andsimplifying each phase of the product development process.Using PLM solutions, companies can get product to marketmore quickly, meet increasingly rigorous compliance requirements and industry standards, and achieve greater collaboration and communication across the product developmentprocess.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM SoftwareThe market category for PLM first emerged in 1985, driven byAmerican Motor Corporation (AMC), as a way to speed up theproduct development process and better compete in theautomotive marketplace.PLM continues to be highly leveraged in the automotiveindustry today, but adoption has broadly expanded to otherindustries such as aerospace and defense, healthcare, medicaldevices, process manufacturing, and energy.What is ALM?“Application lifecycle management (ALM) is not a product buta process,” states industry analyst firm Ovum, in its SoftwareLifecycle Management report. Ovum goes on to further defineALM as the process by which information technology (IT) andsoftware development organizations create, deploy andoperate software over its full lifecycle.14
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherComparing ALM and PLM lifecycle phases1Application project andportfolio management2An investment analysis is performed and business case developed prior to the inception of asoftware project.4Design and use-case analysisBuild release, deployProject inception andrequirements gathering35Coding6Application code is written, or inthe case of an enhancement,extended or revised.8The final release is compiled,the release is finalized, and theapplication is deployed toproduction.Requirements managementAs requirements evolve orchange, the requirementsdocument also must evolve toanalyze impact on developmentschedules, delivery date,resources and so on.Marketplace information is gathered, potential users/customersof the application are interviewed, and data is gathered toform documented requirements.The underlying architecture ofthe software code is defined, andvarious use cases are developedto model the possible user interactions with the final system.7ALM phasesTesting and QAThe software is systematicallydebugged, performance, loadand stress tested, with necessaryrevisions made to the code.Application performanceThe ongoing maintenance of theapplication – including enhancements and defect correctionthroughout the application’s lifecycle until the end-of-life phase.Key takeawayWhile software development can follow a cascading waterfall approach, the popular and broad acceptance of theagile development methodology now means that software is created more iteratively - in short, rapid “sprints,”with requirements changing frequently and many ongoing revisions.1PLM phasesConceiveInformation is gathered fromthe marketplace, customerrequirements are determinedand the product is imagined andtechnical specifications basedon this information are created.42DesignThe product’s initial design iscreated, refined, tested and validated using tools such as CADand CAE analysis. This step involves a number of engineeringdisciplines including mechanical,electrical, electronic, software(embedded) and simulation, aswell as domain-specific expertise, for example automotiveengineering.3RealizeAt this stage, the product designis complete and the manufacturing method is determined,with this phase addressing tooldesign, analysis, simulation,and ergonomic analysis.Service and end-of-lifeIn this final phase of the product lifecycle, we enter the service phase, which may involve repair and maintenance,waste management and end of life (disposal, destruction) of the product.Key takeawayPLM processes are typically waterfall processes with iterative work patterns that accommodate incremental changewithin the process.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software5
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherSimilarities and differencesof PLM and ALMTo make an effective business case for PLM and ALM integration, it is important to understand the similarities and differences between the two systems. This comparison will allowsus to better comprehend the basic orientation of each system,understand how the systems can benefit from each other andidentify the key points for a truly effective integration of thetwo systems.Parts versus filesThe first area of difference lies in the fact that a PLM system isoriented around management of “parts” used to manufacturea physical product that have requirements, design attributesand changes associated to them. Whereas an ALM system isoriented around the management of software files/items suchas requirement documents, pieces of software code, or testcases and the changes to those files as they occur.Browser-based collaborationSoftware creation and the ALM tools have traditionally residedwithin the software development organization. However, inrecent years ALM data has become valuable to an increasinglywide number of stakeholders. ALM coverage is extending tonew disciplines beyond software development, and with agreater number of stakeholders comes an increased need foreasy, real-time access to data, typically through a browserinterface. An increasing number of ALM vendors today providebrowser-based access to their systems, and modern Web 2.0products such as Polarion ALM are natively web-based,offering cloud-based and mobile device access.Leveraging the Polarion ALM browser-based approach userscan perform a detailed 3D rendering and bill of materials(BOM) including the embedded software with traceability to avehicle’s transmission displayed in China from a server locatedin Stuttgart. Without the browser-based integration and theALM and PLM interoperability provided with Polarion ALM thiskind of capability is extremely difficult.Lean manufacturing and agile software developmentIn the 1990s, the Toyota Production System introduced theconcept of lean manufacturing as a management philosophyto improve the value for the customer. Toyota was able togrow from a small company to the largest car automaker inthe world by following such a philosophy.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM SoftwareIn a nutshell, lean is any production practice that creates valuefor the customer, that is, something for which the customer iswilling to pay. Anything else goes in the wastebasket.We can argue the agile software development methodology isderived from lean manufacturing, at least from a philosophicalperspective: in agile methods, users are at the center of thedevelopment universe and they define what is worthy ofimplementation.The need to integrate ALM and PLM systems for the sake ofintegrating product and software development methods is ofcritical importance for all manufactures. It is a natural evolution for lean manufacturing and agile development to cometogether in a unique approach for application and productdevelopment.PLM traceability versus ALM traceabilityAnother area of difference between PLM and ALM lies in theway the systems define traceability. In a PLM system, traceability is defined as the “part of” decomposition of a completesystem. A car is composed of a frame, an axle, four tires andso on. In an ALM system, traceability is defined as the linksbetween files/items belonging to different phases. A changeto a requirement may impact a line of code, or require a newtest case to be developed to validate the new requirement.A PLM system will relate and link information to PLM itemssuch as requirements, design objects, materials, tolerances,changes and more. An ALM system, on the other hand, willrelate and link information related to software code such asrequirements, change requests, test cases, and commitcomments.The existence of software as a “part of” a complete system is asignificant driver for bringing PLM and ALM together.Software exists in the traditional PLM world as a single part,but the level of management ends there. Traditional PLMsystems’ software management does not push down to thepoint where that “part” has its own lifecycle complete with amultitude of files/items and changes to those files/items.Increasingly, the lack of lifecycle management control overthe software “part” creates problems for product manufacturers. Software quality issues lie at the bottom of many costlyproduct failures and drive a significant percentage of productrecalls, but traditional approaches to PLM and even PLM andALM integration frequently lack the ability to identify all the6
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherrelationships between hardware and software to get to thebottom of the product defect and software-related issues.Consider a situation in the automotive industry where inrelease 3.4.5 of a software component, when parameter X isvalued at “3.5” a false signal is created. That software component is leveraged across multiple vehicles. So how does amanufacturer figure out which vehicles have this problem andneed to be fixed?In a recent blog post, Forrester Research application development and delivery analyst Tom Grant points to the gulf thatcurrently exists between many PLM and ALM systems andmakes a case for PLM and ALM vendors to close this gap:“Business processes, such as crafting requirements thatencompass both the hardware and software components, areone reason why ALM and PLM need to be stitched together.While product teams already know how to do this (for example, by framing the requirements in terms of ‘systems ofsystems’), the tools they use don’t always share the same levelof understanding. PLM tools that in theory should accommodate both hardware and software usually fall short whendealing with the digital part of the product. Some elements ofALM, such as source control management, don’t even exist inthe PLM world.” 2ALMPLMRequirementsmanagementProduct lifecyclePhase-outand disposalCRMService andsupportProductionLaunchand rampAudits,metricsPDMConceptPLMplatformDesign ldmanagementPrototypeand pilotSCMA white paper issued by: Siemens PLM ationmanagement7
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherVersion control versus change managementTraditional PLM systems have a notion of version control –recognizing that a part may change over time – but rarelyrecord or are able to retrieve the reason for change. Becausemany systems also lack ALM’s notion of traceability, theycannot identify how a change to a software part impacts allother connected items within the system.ALM and PLM similarities and differencesSimilaritiesDifferencesBoth systems are built around process and core disciplinesALM is centered on software “files” and prescribes a processto create software applications. The applications consist ofmultiple item types and complex relationships between software item types which create impact trees.PLM is oriented around “parts” which form a tree structure of“part-of” relationships. The item types and complex relationships between these hardware item types create impacttrees.Both systems incorporate workflow, variant management,test management, requirements, and specification managementALM deals in the abstract. PLM deals in the concrete. In ALM,software engineers envision, elicit, define, implement, test,and maintain abstract functions.PLM focuses on the delivery of a complete bill of materialswith the understanding of product configuration to the production chain. The function of the components in PLM is theproduct itself.Both systems allow linking components to each otherIn ALM there are many different types of relationships andlink types creating dependency hierarchies between softwareitems.In PLM there are many different relationships and link typesbetween hardware items creating dependencies and decomposition hierarchies.Both systems allow linking information to componentsIn PLM this information is generally quantitative and can include requirements, targets, design objects, materials, tolerances and more.In ALM the information linked to items is descriptive: textual,mock-ups, user stories, test scenarios, etc.In both environments there is a wide usage of modelsIn PLM models follow the “part-of” decomposition and defineproduct design items. PLM models are frequently segmentedinto different product subsystems: electrical layout, brakingsubsystem, transmission, interior, etc.In ALM a model follows the functional decomposition bymeans of diagrams like Entity-Relationship or Object-Oriented.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software8
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherAt the most fundamental level, PLM and ALM systems aredifferent, but they complement each other very well. Theywere designed at different times to manage very differenttypes of information. They are built to serve different processes, and different types of users. The time has arrived forPLM and ALM to come together. Software plays too great arole in today’s technologically advanced products, and therisks of not managing that software are too great for thesesystems to continue to exist in separate silos.Key takeaways Software now plays a critical role in products and isoften at the root of product failure. In 1999, a software error in the NASA Mars Climate Orbiter causedthe 125 million spacecraft – key to the Mars exploration program – to enter into the Martian atmospheretoo low and too fast. The craft has never been heardfrom again. PLM and ALM systems are designed to manage verydifferent things and include vastly different featuresfor their users. If a manufacturer is building a productwith a significant software portion, both PLM and ALMare needed and these systems must work together. PLM and ALM systems define traceability differently.In PLM traceability describes the decomposition ofa product into various parts and components acrossthe lifecycle. In ALM, traceability describes the linkages between items across the various stages of thesoftware development process. Here again, bothPLM and ALM are needed and these systems must beintegrated.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software9
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherSoftware in the productmanufacturing processToday it takes dozens of microprocessors running 100 millionlines of code to get a premium car out of the driveway. Andthis software is only going to become more complex.3Software engineering is increasingly becoming the dominantforce in consumer and industrial product manufacturing.Siemens now employs more software engineers in itshigh-tech business than Microsoft, Oracle, or SAP.The rising and critical importance of software within productsadds new complexity to the product development process. Nolonger are manufacturers simply responsible for the hardware;they now must develop additional processes and proceduresfor the development of complex, embedded software systems.As the quality and performance of this software in somecircumstances (such as within a medical device, or in thecontrol of an aircraft or vehicle) can mean life or death for theuser, the software process is rigorously controlled and regulated with compliance monitored through government bodies.Failure to meet these standards can result in hefty penalties,or shut-down of manufacturing operations.4“The importance of system-centric product development andsystem engineering is continuing to grow, as manufacturersincreasingly include software to deliver product function. Theshift from loosely orchestrated mechanical design, electronicsdesign and software development to a more tightly executedsystem-centric approach requires time-consuming changes tonew product development activities, processes, organizationsand culture. Manufacturers that do not make the shift in atimely way will struggle competitively.”Gartner - Marc Halpern, Janet Suleski: Predicts 2013: ProductDesign and Life Cycle Management.Key takeaways The US Air Force’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter incorporates approximately 5.7 million lines of code. The average medical device now has one million linesof code and that number is doubling every couple ofyears. Software is an increasingly dominant driver of industrial product innovation.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software10
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherThe need to marry PLM and ALMEarlier in this paper, we discussed the increasing amount ofsoftware within manufactured products – and in particular,within technologically complex products, such as automobiles, medical devices and aircraft.This increasing – and increasingly dominant – presence ofsoftware adds a new dimension of complexity within theproduct engineering and manufacturing process. Thatincreased complexity must be managed.So the question remains, how does a manufacturer bestmanage the growing amount of software that now exists as acomponent within a part within a product? Ideally that problem is solved through integration and interoperabilitybetween a PLM system and an ALM system.PortfoliomanagementOn the surface the methods for managing a product’s lifecycle(PLM), and the lifecycle of a software application (ALM) seemto be quite similar. Both PLM and ALM systems are builtaround an integrated process and set of core disciplines. Butthe similarities end there.Some CIOs and IT managers with significant investments inPLM systems have tried to leverage a PLM system to managesoftware. A PLM system can manage productrelated workflows, specifications, designs, and versions – so why notsoftware as well?But requiring a PLM system to manage the complexity and filemanagement of the software development process – inclusiveof iterative development cycles, changing requirements,traceability of items and relationships between items and soon – pushes the limits of many PLM systems well beyond theirboundaries. The management of software developmentprocesses is a job better suited to ALM, a software-centricdiscipline specifically oriented around exactly the tasks outlined above.After exploring the many differences between ALM and PLMapproaches and toolsets, we can state:1. The need to manage software and product lifecycles in anintegrated way is now more urgent than ever2. Traditional PLM toolsets are not well suited to managesoftware developmentProjectmanagementBuild -time onTesting & QAChangemanagementServicemanagementSource: The Forrester Wave : Application Life-Cycle Management,Forrester Research, Inc.3. ALM toolsets are not well suited to manage productdevelopmentA white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software11
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherSummarySoftware is increasingly overtaking hardware’s traditionaldominance in product development. This is particularly truefor technologically sophisticated products (such as automotivevehicles, aircraft, medical devices and smartphones).Systems and product engineers need to actively seek out toolsbeyond their conventional PLM system that allow for multidisciplinary collaboration – especially with software engineering counterparts – that ensure end-to-end management ofsoftware components as well as hardware components.As software and product development disciplines are significantly different, there is no way to use just PLM or just ALM insystems engineering. Manufacturers have to use both, so PLMand ALM must come together in an integrated fashion thatallows all disciplines and all design processes to share and linkproduct and software requirements, collaborate more closelyby establishing the cross-domain relationships needed to fullyassess the impact of change and to view and access thatinformation using the system and tools they are most comfortable with. Successful manufactures will require the type ofintegration and interoperability that exist with Teamcenterand Polarion ALM.References1.2.3.4.Ovum, Software Lifecycle Management 2011.Forrester Research, Inc., Blog post, August 2012 – “ALM and PLM:Make it Work People”, Tom Grant.This Car Runs on Code – IEEE Spectrum, February 2009.Getting Better Software into Manufactured Products – McKinseyQuarterly, March 2006.A white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software12
White paper Why ALM and PLM need each otherSiemens PLM SoftwareHeadquartersGranite Park One5800 Granite ParkwaySuite 600Plano, TX 75024USA 1 972 987 3000AmericasGranite Park One5800 Granite ParkwaySuite 600Plano, TX 75024USA 1 314 264 8499About Siemens PLM SoftwareSiemens PLM Software, a business unit of the SiemensDigital Factory Division, is a leading global provider ofproduct lifecycle management (PLM) and manufacturingoperations management (MOM) software, systems andservices with over 15 million licensed seats and more than140,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano,Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with itscustomers to provide industry software solutions that helpcompanies everywhere achieve a sustainable competitiveadvantage by making real the innovations that matter. Formore information on Siemens PLM Software products andservices, visit www.siemens.com/plm.For more information about Polarion ALM, please visitwww.siemens.com/polarionEuropeStephenson HouseSir William Siemens SquareFrimley, CamberleySurrey, GU16 8QD 44 (0) 1276 413200Asia-PacificSuites 4301-4302, 43/FAIA Kowloon Tower,Landmark East100 How Ming StreetKwun Tong, KowloonHong Kong 852 2230 3308www.siemens.com/plm 2016 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. Siemens and the Siemens logoare registered trademarks of Siemens AG. ALM, D-Cubed, Femap, Fibersim, Geolus, GO PLM,I-deas, JT, NX, Parasolid, Polarion, Solid Edge, Syncrofit, Teamcenter and Tecnomatix aretrademarks or registered trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc.or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other logos, trademarks,registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.55241-A11 9/16 HA white paper issued by: Siemens PLM Software13
management (ALM) and product lifecycle management (PLM). It examines why ALM cannot be used for PLM and why PLM cannot be used for ALM, and details the . agile development methodology now means that software
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