PLCS - The Product Life Cycle Support Standard - An Executive Overview

Linking Technology and Defense

Black & Rossi

PLCS - The Product Life Cycle Support Standard - An Executive Overview

Black & Rossi

Linking Technology and Defense

Introduction

What is PLCS? It stands for Product Life Cycle Support It is an International Standard It is an information standard

It defines the form of information and how it can be linked together

It is a means to:▪ Exchange or share product data▪ Manage change▪ Maintain product histories

across organizational and application boundaries and between life cycle phases

Why PLCS? Management of complex products through life

involves: Multiple organizations Multiple IT systems

▪ Many point to point links for exchange/sharing Many different functions

▪ Mostly operating in “cylinders of excellence” Managing change and obsolescence

No standard existed for the joined up view required to manage and optimise products and their support systems through life

5

Setting the Business Context The Key Business Problem

How to keep the information needed to operate and maintain a product aligned with the changing product over its life cycle?

Tools

TestEquipment

SupportFacilities

Consumables

Software

Transportation

Spares

StorageRequirements

Training

Product Definition Information

MaintenanceSchedules

Productin Focus

Feedback

6

Product Life Cycle Support (PLCS)Typically complex systems environment – point to point integration

7.FMECA

6.LSAR

2.Maintainers

ViewingTool

3.Stock Mgmt

8.CAD

4.MaintenanceManagement

10IETM

11Parts

Supplier Database

12 Depot Maint

Mgmt

13.Distribution,

Transportation

14 Defects & FailureReporting

9.Product

Data

Functional Requirements

LSA Data

LSA Data

5.RequirementsManagement

LSA Data

Support Data

CM Data

Support Data

Part Data

CM Data

CM DataCM Data

Defects and

Failures Maintenance

Mgt Data

DesignData

Support Data

DistributionData

Tech Pubs Data

1.Support Data

CM DataOperational Objectives

FMECAResults

7

1.Support

Data

7.FMECA

6.LSAR

5.RequirementsManagement

2.Maintainers

ViewingTool

3.Stock Mgmt

8.CAD

4.MaintenanceManagement

9.Product

Data

10IETM

11Parts

Supplier Database

12 Depot Maint

Mgmt

13.Distribution,

Transportation

14 Defects & FailureReporting

Functional Req. FMECAResults

Part data MaintenanceMgmt Data

DistributionData

Defects& Failures

TechPub Data

Design data Parts Data

PLCS compliant information exchanges

Design Data

LSA DataMaintenanceMgmt Data

Support data

Maintenance

Mgt Data

In future, support system integration will be easier to implement

Product Life Cycle Support (PLCS)PLCS will enable cost effective information exchanges

FinnishDefence Forces

Who paid for PLCS to be created in 1999-2005?

Five Defense Departments: USA, UK, Norway, Sweden, FinlandNote: PLCS is dual use, NOT defense specific

Major OEMs: USA, UK, SwedenRisk management

Norway

IT systems providers and consultants: ERP, PLM and specialist toolsUS, UK, Netherlands

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What activities does PLCS cover?

Provide through life

support for product

IT infrastructureSupport infrastructure

Information Information

Top level PLCS coverage

Change & Events

Product needing support Supported product

Provide through life

support for product

Top level PLCS coverage

Requirements

Disposed product

Feedback

IT infrastructureSupport infrastructure

Supported product

Information InformationChange & Events

Product needing support

PLCS Activity - first level breakdown

Provide through life

support for product

Supported product

Information Information

Manage Informatio

n to support a product

Generate SupportSolution

CommissionSupportSystem

Provide Support

Product needing support

The bigger PLCS picture

Design&

Manufacture

Business transactionsOrder, Receipt, Store, Allocate

HUMSCBM

SystemsEngineerin

g

Provide through life

support for product

Supported product

Information Information

Manage Informatio

n to support a product

Generate SupportSolution

CommissionSupportSystem

Provide Support

Product needing support Provide through life

support for product

Supported product

Information Information

Manage Informati

on to

support a product

Generate SupportSolution

Commission

SupportSystem

Provide Support

Product needing support

The bigger PLCS picture

Design&

Manufacture

HUMSCBM

SystemsEngineerin

g

Provide through life

support for product

Supported product

Information Information

Manage Informati

on to

support a product

Generate SupportSolution

Commission

SupportSystem

Provide Support

Product needing support

Business transactionsOrder, Receipt, Store, Allocate

The bigger PLCS picture

Design&

Manufacture

HUMSCBM

SystemsEngineerin

g

Provide through life

support for product

Supported product

Information Information

Manage Informati

on to

support a product

Generate SupportSolution

Commission

SupportSystem

Provide Support

Product needing support

Business transactionsOrder, Receipt, Store, Allocate

Manage Information

to support a product

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What does PLCS contain?

PLCS Content

Key

States

ProductDesigns

IndividualProducts

ManagementProcess

Details

Activity SpecificationsActivityHistory

Environment

ProductBreakdowns

ProductDescriptions

PLCS Content – very high level

Properties, People and Times and more

Faults andOperating

States

The physicalProducts

(UID)

Configurations and discipline views

Support and usage history

Tasksand

Schedules

Commissioning of Work/Change

Items of interest

ProjectContra

ctLocatio

n

PLCS business functionality Exchange and sharing of data across the product life

cycle

Capture of relationships/dependencies between items from different disciplines Which usually reside in different specialist systems

Capture of information to enable comparison of what was supposed to be and what actually happened Maintenance, failures, usage, configurations

Enable management of change

Extended Enterprise Change Management

DesignConfiguration

MaintenanceScheduleMaintenance

Task

Definition

IndividualConfiguration

Maintenance Plan

Fault statedefinitions

MaintenanceRequirements

Domain Definitions(CAD, etc)

DesignAnalysis

MaintenanceAnalysis

DesignRequirements

ManufacturingBOM

Spare PartsConfiguration

LSAR

MaintenanceTask Planning Actual

Fault states

MaintenanceTask

perfomance

As-built

As-maintained

LocationManagement

Individuals

Usage

Designs

Cross-discipline Change

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PLCS for Data Exchange

Data Exchange Specifications (DEXs) PLCS has a big scope and a rich flexible data

model For specific Data Exchanges a more tailored

specification called a PLCS DEX is used Reduces scope

▪ a subset of the overall PLCS information content

▪ XML schema to match Details how to capture specifics (e.g. Item

Unique Id) Allows for localised terminology

DEXs can be used to contracting for information Data sets from different DEXs are easily

combined All covered by the underlying PLCS data model

PLCS DEX for Maintenance and Repair Funded by Black & Rossi Stakeholders:

NATO – Coalition Logistics Interoperability US Marines – PLMAV program NAMSA UID Office

Objectives: Demonstrate interoperability using PLCS in an

international arena

Maintenance & Repair: PLCS

MaintainerOperator

Maintenance & Repair: PLCS

MaintainerOperator

PLCS DEXA Data Exchange Specification

DEX fit with Business Process

Information is communicated using a subset of PLCS expressed in XML Approach is independent of the applications used at either end of the exchange

Summary PLCS is an ISO standard that enables exchange

and sharing of technical data and feedback for complex systems/products

A DEX is a way to specify Messages for exchange that are part of a consistent broader approach that maximises information connectivity

The Maintenance and Repair DEX will support Coalition Logistic Interoperability needs In line with the NATO STANAG for PLCS