174: What Is Wrong With Systems Engineering?

Everywhere you turn you hear that we all need to be better systems engineers, even though systems engineering is not without its shortcomings. Today Thom Singer and Craig Brown welcome returning podcast guest Patrick Hillberg for a discussion about the shortcomings and solutions of system engineering. Because if systems engineering causes dysfunction, what is the solution? 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Why is systems engineering a potential pitfall?

● Patrick argues that decomposition creates systems dysfunction.

● Decomposition is the breaking down of the entire product to focus on individual groups.

● Mechanical, electrical, and software all have to work together as well as individually.

● Craig proposes that systems engineering may be a skill rather than a discipline.

What can the individual do to solve team dysfunction?

● If dysfunction is the problem, there must be a solution.

● Individuals can move to remove performance management programs.

● Diversity in teams with a variety of skills have an advantage over others.

● The history of the decomposition approach reveals some of its shortcomings.

Teams and decomposition compatibility 

● Digital exhaust addresses who is talking to who.

● Limited communication results in limited innovation.

● A team that frequently talks to each other but rarely talks outside of the team is going to be a very efficient team, but not a very innovative team.

Is our history useful for the future?

● Patrick argues that the past century has not prepared us well for the next decade.

● External costs have never been a key consideration, resulting in limited future accessibility.

● A lack of accountability and ignoring repercussions has created major problems for the future.

● It’s possible that the Industrial Revolution was never truly sustainable.

● External costs are absolutely coming due, possibly even this decade.

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Patrick Hillberg has over 30 years of industrial experience including expertise in designing and developing product lifecycle management (PLM), digital manufacturing, process planning, and robotics and machine vision applications. Patrick teaches a graduate course in engineering management at Oakland University called Product Lifecycle Management. He is the pro bono Director of the SE Michigan STEM Alliance, is an advisor to Oakland University’s Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering and is past-Chair of the MAT2 Technical Product Design Steering Committee.

Patrick began his career developing software in the early days of factory robotics and then transitioned manufacturing planning through virtualization as a Solution Architect for Dassault Systèmes DELMIA product. He was later Lead Solutions Architect for Siemens PLM where he led teams in Teamcenter implementations and was the point of contact for C-Level executives. He also served as the division's US Lead for academic and workforce development.

Patrick received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Michigan Technological University and a Master in System Engineering in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Michigan. Patrick then went on to earn his Doctorate in Systems Engineering from Oakland University in 2004.

170: ENCORE: Navigating Disruptions and Improving Resiliency with PLM

Companies in every industry have faced unprecedented disruption for nearly two years now, and it has been made clear that some are handling pandemic-induced challenges much better than others.  But what is the key difference between those who struggle and those who succeed? On this episode of the Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Thom Singer and Craig Brown are joined by CIMData President and CEO Peter Bilello for a discussion about the role of PLM in thriving companies, the intersection of AI and PLM, and market trends that successful companies need to take note of and pivot toward today. 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Why are companies booming despite the pandemic? 

● Challenges and opportunities meet at the same point. 

● Different industries have been impacted by the pandemic in a variety of ways based on what they deliver to the market, but all industries have experienced disruption of some sort.

● Whether positive or negative, dealing with disruption is the name of the game right now. 

PLM as an enabler of success 

● Margins tend to be better in companies that employ product lifecycle management. 

● However, there are plenty of successful companies that do not use PLM as a strategy. 

● A strong PLM foundation tends to help companies deal with disruptions more efficiently. 

The downside of remote working 

● While many companies have successfully transitioned to remote work only, there are limitations that come with it. 

● Innovation happens haphazardly, and most often amidst coworker side conversations rather than in virtual meetings. 

● Collaboration is much less likely to happen when teams are not meeting in person. 

4 key market trends 

● AI and machine learning are gaining momentum in more companies. 

● More companies are moving toward SAAS options. 

● The true enablement of the life cycle is being realized more than ever before. 

● End to end connectivity and much needed configuration management is improving exponentially. 

Managing chaos and improving resiliency with PLM 

● There will always be a cultural, human element to chaos and resiliency. 

● The first step to dealing with disruption is to understand what’s going on to begin with. 

● The theory of constraints illustrates where the focus and optimization needs to take place. 

● Flexibility improves with the implementation of PLM. 

● Products exist within true system-to-systems, and resilient companies are able to adjust fast enough that the disruption is not fatal. 

Areas to focus in on now

● Ask yourself if you are document-centric or data-centric. 

● Documents can only get you so far as they tend to hide information. 

● Identify model-based data and information constructs to unlock key information.

Guest Bio:

Peter Bilello has more than 35 years of experience in the development of business-enabling IT solutions for research, engineering, and manufacturing organizations worldwide. He has participated in PLM analysis, selection, implementation, and training; CAD/CAM/CAE/CIM implementation and management; synchronous and lean manufacturing consulting; software engineering; and general data management strategy development and support. He has authored numerous papers and research reports on PLM and related topics, and his articles, commentaries, and perspectives have appeared in publications throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Peter has been directly involved with consultation on the selection, integration, and implementation of large-scale PLM solutions. He has spoken on a number of different PLM-related topics in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Peter holds a BS in Computer Science with a minor in Physics from California State University, Fullerton, and an MSE in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from The University of Michigan.

165: Improving the Customer Experience with Digital Tools

Who is a digital customer and what do they expect from companies in today’s fast paced, digitally driven world? On this episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Craig Brown and Thom Singer sit down with Howard Tiersky, CEO and Founder of FROM and author of Winning Digital Customers for a conversation about the role that digital tools play in today’s customer experience.  Whether they realize it or not, nearly every customer experience is affected by digital tools, and it is up to companies to keep up with the rapid change of pace that customers are demanding. 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Who is a digital customer? 

● Digital customers live a digital-centric lifestyle. 

● Techniques of digitalization can help a customer visualize a product long before it is made. 

● Keeping the value the customer wants front and center continues to shift toward digitalization, especially in vehicles. 

Maximizing the value proposition of customer preferences

● First, understand the customer you are addressing. 

● Utilize a wide range of customer research strategies. 

● Too many companies underinvest in customer research. 

● Digital technologies bring the ability to show off what a product could be. 

● Requirements are a tool, improved experience is the ultimate goal. 

Clarifying the term ‘digital’

● The terms we use to describe digital anything is just a reference to the tools that are used. 

● Digital refers to every aspect of a product or service, it is no longer an isolated department. 

● Digital is the future of every business, even Taco Bell. 

● The customer experience is improved when companies utilize digital. 

Digitalization versus digital

● Digitalization takes something analog and creates a digital format. 

● Digitalization can also refer to the digital transformation. 

● Either way, customers have changed to be more digital and companies have to follow suit. 

● The digital experience has to meet the needs of today’s customer. 

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Guest Bio:

Howard Tiersky is CEO and Founder of FROM, where they help companies grow revenue across digital channels by supporting the customer journey resonating with today's hyper-connected audience. His work includes the creation of many award-winning web and mobile products for shopping, banking, travel and entertainment. Prior to founding the company, Howard spent eighteen years with Capgemini, one of the world's leading global consulting firms, as Vice President for Media & Entertainment. At Capgemini, Howard led the firm's digital media capabilities for North America, driving major e-business transformation projects for clients including General Electric, General Motors, NBC-Universal, Office Depot, Turner Broadcasting, Sprint PCS, Sears, Allstate, Merrill Lynch and Cisco. Howard speaks regularly at major industry conferences, and is also on the faculty of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts where he teaches courses on the intersection of television industry and the Internet. Howard holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from NYU, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Directing from the USC School of Theater, Film and Television.

159: The Digital Battle — Can You Really Build Company Culture?

The culture of your company can make or break your career, your competitive edge, and your industry experience. Can anyone really shape company culture? Or are you resigned to dealing with the culture that is already in place? In the latest Digital Battle, Craig Brown and Mark Pendergast examine the hows and whys behind successfully changing company culture. Craig considers company culture a key component to staying competitive, while Mark argues that it’s very, very difficult to build a new company culture so you’re better off adapting the one you have with the problem at hand. But who is right? 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

What sustains and drives culture?

• Culture is the collection of stories around your company.

• With company culture, everyone knows the path to success and just follows it. 

• Culture is shaped by what management pays attention to and rewards. 

• It can be so difficult to change company culture because it’s distributed throughout the entire company. 

• Alternately, accepting company culture can mean that your company is resigned to not staying competitive. 

• Culture should be more about innovation and less about bureaucracy. 

• Embracing change while maintaining quality is essential to staying competitive. 

Subcultures within a company 

• Subcultures that are innovating and creating need to be fostered throughout the entire company. 

• Subcultures have the potential to change the entire company culture for the better. 

• Subcultures can create tension with management and across the company. 

• The overall company culture is present while specifics vary from group to group. 

• Leadership, not management, has the power to change culture for the better. 

• Quality cannot be negatively impacted by any attempts at creating a subculture. 

A manager’s impact on culture change

• People don’t follow managers just because of their title, they follow leaders they believe in. 

• Leaders need to exhibit the culture that they expect people to follow.

• Effective change doesn’t happen with memos- it happens with actions. 

• Culture is created with stories, celebrations and communications. 

• Outside personalities do not have the same sustainable impact on company culture as leaders do. 

Why do people resist culture change? 

• Real change is uncomfortable, and it’s rare to find people who really want to change. 

• Fear is a major factor in resisting change. 

• People will resist change if they’re not confident that leadership will support them. 

• Leaders have to be the driving force behind change. 

• People don’t resist change, they resist being changed. 

• Effective change happens when people are willing to make the change themselves. 

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

How many engineering design tools do we really need to get the job done? Craig Brown says fewer, Mark Pendergast says more, and with that, the latest Digital Battle is underway. Innovation is often driven by new tools, and innovation drives the need for new tools. In this uncharacteristically amicable digital battle, Craig and Mark examine both sides of the same coin and share the drivers, challenges, and benefits of utilizing the new tools that are continually appearing in today’s engineering toolbox.

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Why do engineers need so many tools? 

• People use the tools they are used to, whether they actually need them or not.

• There are three areas of digitization — author tools, the database behind it, and the model libraries of knowledge — that Craig argues need to be minimized.

• Engineering products have become very specialized, and often push the frontier of the possible.

• Core tools and fringe tools need to be managed differently, according to Mark.

• Specialization requires more tools than was once the standard.

Should access to design tools be limited or uncontrolled?

• Computer-based tools present a higher cyber threat and bring in unknown risks.

• There needs to be a compelling reason to introduce additional tools.

• Craig favors limits on tools while also allowing the options for better tools when they are presented.

• Budgets create a practical limit on tool usage, and there are also abuses on the limited side.

• Many tools don’t have different physics but different application domains.

• Tools are about more than managing a design, it’s about managing the environment the tool works in and its behavior.

Will there always be a rapid pace of introduction of new tools?

• Mark would argue that there will always be new tools, and those tools are driving amazing new products.

• AI, big data and other solutions to problems are constantly and continually being invented.

• It is essential to properly manage the transition from one core toolset to the next.

• Innovation needs to be fostered in a controlled way.

• According to Craig, energy efficiency will continue to drive innovation, and that drive of innovation requires new tools to help manage it.

• Changes to manufacturing with 3D printing and additive manufacturing will also require new tools.

Final thoughts on the toolset

• The toolset is like a garden that needs to grow and be pruned as necessary.

• The process of renewal and finding new tools is controlled while also encouraging innovation.

• Tools that are not within your discipline deserve the same benchmarking as the tools you already use.

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.