Course syllabus
PPU111 Product lifecycle management (PLM) lp1 HT24 (7.5 hp)
Course is offered by the department of Industrial and Materials Science
1. BACKGROUND
Leading manufacturing firms aim to base their product realisation processes on the use of digital models of the product and the IT-systems that support the product throughout its lifecycle. Information Technology (IT) supports a wide range of tasks throughout a product’s lifecycle including managing requirements, generating concepts, defining geometry, simulating function and properties, planning production, managing spare parts, maintaining, recycling and, retirement of the product.
Industry has a strong need for engineers who are competent in using and adapting modern IT tools for product development and manufacturing. This requires knowledge and skills ranging from understanding the overall business down to the adaptation of IT tools. The course Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) aims to develop these skills. In particular, the course is aimed towards students from the master programs Product Development, Product Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Automotive Engineering, who envision a future as:
- PLM Professionals: For example consultants within the CAD, PLM, systems engineering, or business development areas
- PLM users: Designers, project leaders or managers within development departments or,
- PLM Experts: Researchers or specialists within the IT support for product development area.
2. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
The purpose of the course is to provide an overview of how IT tools and systems are used to create and manage product information and knowledge, from identification of customers’ need to product retirement. In particular, the course focuses on the advanced use of digital models, information, and knowledge in the product realisation process.
After completion of this course, the student should be able to:
- Describe the state-of-the art and important trends in the area of digital support for product realisation
- Explain drivers and challenges for PLM
- Explain the critical role that PLM solutions play in today’s organisations
- Explain how decisions on product information will impact the success of a company
- Identify and account for current trends in PLM
- Describe some leading companies’ PLM approaches
- Describe the core functionality of different digital engineering tools, specifically in NX and Teamcenter
- Explain how PLM systems relate to engineering tools and how they are used in the product lifecycle
- Explain how PLM systems relate to other enterprise IT systems
- Describe and exemplify how PLM functionality can be used to facilitate increased information management efficiency and exchange
- Describe different users role with respect to the PLM system
- Demonstrate how a user works with a PLM system (Teamcenter).
- Evaluate company-specific needs for PLM solutions and configure PLM solutions for the company’s product lifecycle
- Apply different methods for business analysis and stating requirements on a PLM solution.
- Use a proper combination of methods in order to define and develop a strategic plan and an architecture for PLM.
- Explain the need to base a PLM solution both on business needs as well as on possibilities and constraints of available engineering tools and PDM systems (NX and Teamcenter).
- Describe sustainable initiatives connected to PLM. Including aspects of product compliance.
- Be able to Apply Systems Engineering principles to support the implementation of PDM
- Apply the notion of system-of-interest, enabling systems, system context, lifecycle processes, and systems models, and relate these to tailored product-, system-, and project lifecycles.
- Explain the use of models and IT tools to support common systems engineering activities and methods including requirements management, systems architecture and design, and systems analysis.
- Explain the use of common description techniques for describing and analysing (important aspects of) systems including e.g. UML and/or SysML diagram types.
- Use methods for information and process modelling as tools when developing PLM solutions
- Account for motives and difficulties associated with development process and information modelling.
- Use UML or SysML diagrams to document the contents of a PLM database.
- Use UML or SysML diagrams to document product structures.
- Compare different methods for process modelling in order to be able to choose the right method in a particular situation.
- Use Use Cases and IDEF0 to model, analyse and improve product lifecycle processes.
- Evaluate and use engineering tools and PLM systems in integrated PLM solutions (Specifically NX and Teamcenter)
- Plan the development and implementation of a PLM solution.
- Specify and document the requirement, information, processes and system architecture of a PLM solution.
- Customise engineering tools and PDM systems according to an implementation plan
- Be able to use and explain how to use CAD, CAX and PLM systems to others. (Catia/NX and Teamcenter).
- Model, analyse, and design key product information management processes such as engineering change management, product structure management and configuration
- Be able to demonstrate how a configurator works by implementing and evaluating solutions in e.g MS Excel or Teamcenter.
- Be able to demonstrate and evaluate basic workflows in Teamcenter.
- Be able to set up a basic project, and documents Teamcenter.
- Describe common organisational change management challenges regarding a PLM implementation
- Explain how such challenges risks impair the potential benefits from a PLM solution
3. COURSE CONTENTS
The course contents include:
- PLM overview (what, how, why)
- PLM constitutes (CAD, PDM, etc)
- PLM lifecycle processes and workflows
- Process modelling using use cases, IDEF0 etc.
- Information configuration and product structures
- Modelling using UML
- PLM strategy and implementation
- Knowledge management
- Information & knowledge
- Tacit and Explicit Knowledge
- Personalisation and Codification strategies
- Organisational perspectives
- Systems Engineering
- Systems, lifecycle processes, and lifecycles
- Systems engineering and its relation to requirements, systems architecture and product data throughout the product lifecycle.
- Model-based systems engineering and systems description techniques.
4. COURSE ORGANIZATION
The course is organised around a series of lectures and tutorials. Most of the lectures and tutorials are recorded but they will also be presented live at lectures (normally on Mondays at 13:15). The course also have lab sessions, where most of the sessions require attendance, normally on Thursdays.
Completion of the course is worth 7.5 higher education credits (hp). The teaching and learning activities are divided into about 30 h lectures, 85 h project work and 60 h homework.
The course is divided into several themes, and each theme will follow the theme of Lecture --> Tutorial --> Exercises + oftentimes additional material and reading references for more information.
Themes
- PLM, Information and process modelling
- Configuration & Lifecycle processes
- Implementing PLM
- Knowledge Management
- PLM in practice (Mainly guest lectures)
Lectures
The lectures are listed in course overview. Most lectures are long and contains both exercises and traditional lectures.
The lectures will sometimes also be offered as videos to watch and follow individually by students. This is additional to the lectures and intended to be used for repetition and in cases you may have missed the original lecture. The videos are similar and introduces the same topics but are not identical to the actual lectures.
Each lecture will have a list of preferred pre-reading (or pre-viewing) activities. Supported by either the course book, the course lecture or the material provided by Siemens, this is also described in the course overview.
Tutorial
Connected to most themes there will be a video recorded (or documented) tutorial that shows you how to perform an activity taught in the lecture. In some tutorials you can do the exercise at the same time as watching the tutorial (just press pause in the video). The tutorials will also be presented in the lectures.
Exercises/Project Work/Take Home exam
Connected to tutorials you will be able to perform an exercise. The exercises connects to a common theme and build up the project part of the course. The idea is that these should be performed at the lecture. In cases there is a video presented it is thought to be used as a confirmation or showing the solution to the exercise if all parts were not covered during the lecture.
5. EXAMINATION
For completion of the course the students must have at least a “passed” grade on the home exam, the project work, and have attended the compulsory parts . The home assignment as well as the final project report is to be submitted through Canvas. The final grade depends on the results from both the home exam (50%) and from the project work (50 %). Grades 3-5 will be given.
The following calculation example is taken from the introduction lecture:
- Home Exam (3 hp): gives maximum 22 points.10 Points are required for grade 3. Points are converted to grade by multiplying with 0.25, and rounded up or down. E.g. 10 points gives you the grade 2.5 which rounded up will give the grade 3. All work is to be written, drawn and handed in individually.
- Project work (3 hp): 11 points is awarded for completing the mandatory project (grade 3). Up to 11 points is awarded for additional PLM work (Grade 4 & 5)
- Lab, Seminar and mandatory lectures (1,5 hp) The PLM Crash Course requires mandatory participation, and participating at scheduled exercises, completing training and tutorials, and mandatory guest lectures.
- If you will not be able to attend a mandatory lecture or exercise you should inform the examiner as soon as possible and perform a complimentary task.
- All grading is individual.
6. COURSE LITERATURE
The main course literature is:
Product Lifecycle Management (third edition), Authors: Antti Saaksvuori, Anselmi Immonen (Available as PDF through the library www.lib.chalmers.se)
Supplementary reading:
Product Lifecycle Management: 21st Century Paradigm for Product Realisation Author: Stark, John. (Available as PDF through the library www.lib.chalmers.se)
The Teamcenter training materials will be available in digital format. Lecture notes and some other course materials will be made available in Canvas. You will have access through this through your Learning Advantage accout (see the Teamcenter folder on Canvas).
For the course theme related to systems engineering we recommend the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBoK) as supporting literature. Available on-line: http://sebokwiki.org
7. PREREQUISITES
None.
Advanced computer aided design (PPU080), Computer aided industrial design (CAID) (PPU010) or similar are recommended. Please notify the examiner if you have not attended these or similar courses. This may require some extra reading and training regarding CAD.
8. TEACHERS
Examiner and main lecturer
Professor Dag Bergsjö (DB), e-mail: dagb@chalmers.se
Lecturers
Following guest lectures will appear more than once in the course, and are responsible for a separate theme within the course.
Dr. Amer Catic, e-mail: amer.catic@chalmers.se
Project supervisors
Per Persson, PhD Student, e.mail: perperss@chalmers.se
Adam Mallalieu, PhD Student, e-mail: adammal@chalmers.se
The offices of the examiner and the project supervisors are located in the IMS department, floor 5 in the M building. We greatly appreciate a pre-notification in the form of e-mail in order to make sure we are present and available.
Siemens (Teamcenter support)
Dr. Krister Sutinen, e-mail: krister.sutinen@siemens.com
Consultants from Siemens (experts in Teamcenter) will be available at supervision sessions, normally on Thursdays.
Other teachers and guest lecturers
TBD. Guest lectures will be made available during the course weeks.
8. Lectures labs and important dates
See the course checklist.
Important dates and deadlines (not yet officially decided):
The take home exam shall be handed in at the latest at the end of the examination week (week 9).
Course summary:
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