Working smarter, not harder, should be the goal of every organization. Product line engineering makes that possible, and today Thom Singer and Craig Brown are joined by an expert who knows how to help companies work smarter. Product line engineering expert and VP of Customer Success at BigLever Software Paul Clements shares his insights into the value of product line engineering, the problems it solves, how to adapt it into any process, and which companies are doing the best job of getting it right.   

 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

 

What is product line engineering (PLE)? 

• PLE is an architecture that is designed to support multiple products simultaneously and produce greater business gains. 
• PLE takes advantage of the similarities of products while also managing their differences. 
• Successful companies have learned to manage components within a family of products. 
• PLE is not a new concept, it has been in practice for centuries. 

 

Who practices PLE, and why? 

• PLE is common sense — why do things multiple times if you don’t have to? 
• A standard was necessary to normalize competing ideas. 
• First and second generations distinguish between feature-based PLE and otherwise. 
• The ability for companies to start conversations at an advanced stage is one of the greatest uses of PLE. 
• Self-driving cars stand to benefit greatly from PLE. 

 

Collaborating computers and engineers

• PLE is not about replacing people, it’s about helping people concentrate on higher-value work rather than lower-value repetitive work. 
• PLE allows people to work on the innovative and new parts of work. 
• No one works on the things that have already been done, they work on the new aspects of a project. 

 

How to adopt PLE

• Organizational change is required to adopt PLE, and that is never easy. 
• New roles will have to be filled in this transition. 
• Failure to embrace changes will result in failure of successful adoption of PLE. 
• Which companies are doing the best job of adopting PLE? 
• Cost, schedule, and quality are all key to successful adoption. 

 

Career advise from a PLE expert

• Concentrating your efforts on what you enjoy most will propel you toward greater career success. 
• A career that focuses on teaching rather than practicing can be just as rewarding. 
• When teaching others, hone your presentation, speaking, and writing skills. 

 

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

 

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series