Michael Grieves: The Pursuit of Perfection Begins in the Virtual World

"It's easier to move pixels than to move atoms around," noted Michael Grieves, author of Virtually Perfect: Driving Innovative and Lean Products through Product Lifecycle Management. In other words, perfecting a product is easier done in the virtual world than the physical world.

"My ideal [design environment] is where I digitally design the product, digitally test it, digitally manufacture it, digitally figure out the support activities--and only when I get it right do I actually go out and bend some metal," he said. Manufacturers didn't have that option before because, he observed, "The ability to use computers to mirror the physical world and simulate physical things in the virtual world is a relatively new phenomena ... 3D models became robust enough for simulation only in the last decade or so."

But putting your trust solely on virtual tests is not what he recommends. "You should test virtually, but always validate physically," he added, "because the real world trumps the virtual world. There are still gaps between how well we can simulate physics, and what the actual world does." Even physical testing has limitations, he pointed out, because you can never physically test all conceivable operating conditions for your product.

The product lifecycle management (PLM) discipline, where Grieves works as a consultant, is in a state of transformation. What used to revolve around data consolidation and management is now moving to systems engineering, he pointed out. The manner in which PLM is delivered is also swiftly changing, partly driven by the emergence of cloud computing and mobile devices.

"Putting your data in the cloud -- that allows you to participate in [PLM] without expensive seat costs," he noted. Mobile devices, he believes, will play a crucial role in introducing augmented reality to PLM. "If I'm an aircraft maintenance crew member, I'd like to be able to see not just the outside of an airplane but the wires and cables inside," he said. "That might take not only a mobile device but a wearable device, so when I look at something, I see not just the physical but the virtual aspects."

Grieves thinks lowering the price of entry to PLM is critical in attracting new users, especially among small and midsize businesses. In the past, "Give us $500,000 and we'll give you an enterprise system in two years" sounds like a reasonable proposal. Not so today. "We'll start to see vendors selling PLM brick by brick," he said. The more affordable, modular sales approach has been embraced by not just on-demand vendors like Autodesk and Arena Solutions but also traditional PLM vendors like PTC.

Grieves is heading to Atlanta, Georgia, in the next few weeks as one of the speakers at PLM Innovation Americas conference.