Executive Roles in PLM Initiatives

Abstract

This chapter looks at the various roles that executives play in a PLM Initiative. First, it outlines ten behaviours typically expected from executives. It then describes four high-level stages frequently encountered in a PLM Initiative. These are referred to as the Initiation, Planning, Execution, and Closure stages. A PLM Initiative is a major undertaking. It’s a company-wide initiative, addressing the entire product lifecycle. It’s likely to run for several years. It may address 30% of the company. It’s going to change the way the company works. It’s likely to meet resistance to change. This is a challenging Initiative, not to be taken lightly. With this background set, the chapter details the executive roles that are often found in a PLM Initiative. Then, having introduced the executive roles from a fairly theoretical viewpoint, the following sections give examples from different PLM Initiatives. It’s shown that many difficulties may arise with executive roles in a PLM Initiative. The following section of the chapter gives general advice on how such difficulties may be minimised, and perhaps avoided. This is followed by specific advice for each executive role.