Ann Arbor, Mich.—April 25, 2014—CIMdata, Inc., a global product lifecycle management (PLM) strategic management consulting and research firm, announced the publication of a new paper that describes issues and solutions concerned with simulation and analysis governance.
As companies move to digital product development, simulation plays an increasingly important role in supplying information to support product design decisions. Simulation and analysis (S&A) governance is a key strategy to manage simulation for maximum effectiveness over the full product lifecycle.
Dr. Keith Meintjes, practice manager, simulation and analysis, at CIMdata, stated, “S&A must be recognized as a strategic capability that companies should develop and foster. This extends from the executive suite where the policy is set and supported through product and manufacturing managers who are the customers for S&A to simulation practitioners who are responsible to deliver simulation on time and with quality.” Formal efforts to improve organizational awareness and technical capability need to be put in place to support this vision.
In fact, simulation is the fastest growing component of PLM. This growth, and the increasing reliance on simulation to support product development decisions, underscores the need for a governance framework to manage simulation and analysis as a strategic capability that can be used to validate and optimize design decisions throughout the entire product lifecycle. Governance is about managing the core engineering approaches to product development within an overall enterprise PLM framework.
The paper goes on to explore various aspects of S&A governance, such as training, management support, best practices, common processes, tool licensin, and interoperability. In summary, S&A governance can guarantee that S&A is directed and controlled in a responsible, professional and transparent manner to enhance the long-term success of the enterprise.
