Visualization Technology: Why it's Critical to PLM
New research from IDC Manufacturing Insights, titled Methods and Practices: Visual Information for Effective Collaboration in Product Life-Cycle Management, reveals that organizations can improve and extend their decision-making abilities by intensifying the use of visually presented product-related information.
In general, designers and manufacturers of complex products are finding it increasingly challenging to make effective product-related decisions. Expanded technical complexities across engineering disciplines, elongated and dynamic supply chains, a growing shortage of experienced workers, relentless schedules and budgetary pressures have all contributed to an environment that challenges traditional decision-making methodologies, means and tools. However, manufacturers find that presenting complex, multidisciplinary information using visual methods helps level the playing field for decision makers of varying skills and across corporate disciplines, resulting in better and faster decisions.
In general, designers and manufacturers of complex products are finding it increasingly challenging to make effective product-related decisions. Expanded technical complexities across engineering disciplines, elongated and dynamic supply chains, a growing shortage of experienced workers, relentless schedules and budgetary pressures have all contributed to an environment that challenges traditional decision-making methodologies, means and tools. However, manufacturers find that presenting complex, multidisciplinary information using visual methods helps level the playing field for decision makers of varying skills and across corporate disciplines, resulting in better and faster decisions.
Key findings of this research include:
-- Visual information adds significant value by connecting knowledge workers and corporate disciplines that once lacked a common platform for interaction. Visual information is a means to convert, unify, and abstract dissimilar information sources.
-- Product firms should use visual information to improve comprehension and effective participation from throughout the product lifecycle, providing a leveled decision-making playing field for all stakeholders. Creating this environment will expand the decision-making population, allowing groups once left out of product decisions to provide their input and experiences.
-- Visual decision making is not an isolated activity. Visual decision making should be augmented by the use of collaboration activities and decision-support tools such as social networking, business analytic tools, and leveraging organizational knowledge and best practices.