Software increasingly important in products and business models

Software is the linchpin of many new products and business models: whether it is software-driven improvements to products, the networking of products or the transformation of products into services, or a combination of both. The challenge is to optimally integrate software development into the development process of mechanical and electrical/electronic components.

Advantages for enterprises and employees

  • Best-in-class integration for the management of hardware and software development
  • Management of work results in a common bills of materials
  • Coordinated linking of different development cycles and process models
  • End-to-end PLM-ALM workflows in engineering change, variant management and other processes
  • Open source integration of GitLab or other ALM systems

Best-in-class integration with PLM backbone

The close integration of hardware and software is a key requirement of modern product development. It is essential to harmonize the well planned processes of hardware engineering with the iterative, agile procedures of software engineering. The CONTACT solution architecture reflects this through a best-in-class integration where the PLM system acts as a cross-discipline backbone. PLM-ALM adapters with open connectors enable continuous data flow between both worlds. In particular, cross-disciplinary tasks such as engineering change or the modeling of product variability become much easier.

Despite overcoming the functional silos, the processes along the digital thread continue to run according to the respective discipline-specific methods.

The close integration of hardware and software is a key requirement of modern product development. It is essential to harmonize the well planned processes of hardware engineering with the iterative, agile procedures of software engineering. The CONTACT solution architecture reflects this through a best-in-class integration where the PLM system acts as a cross-discipline backbone. PLM-ALM adapters with open connectors enable continuous data flow between both worlds. In particular, cross-disciplinary tasks such as engineering change or the modeling of product variability become much easier.

Despite overcoming the functional silos, the processes along the digital thread continue to run according to the respective discipline-specific methods.

Software-as-a-part: Software articles in the bill of materials

The development results of software and hardware are very different in their nature. Nevertheless, both domains show mutual dependencies - which are insufficiently or not at all considered by conventional development tools. The CONTACT solution uses a software article as abstraction level for the integrated management of PLM and ALM objects. The article can be integrated as a component in the bill of material. The ALM adapter ensures current software version statuses - and at the same time ensures that the high-frequency changes on the software side do not lead to an unnecessary accumulation of release processes in PLM.

The development results of software and hardware are very different in their nature. Nevertheless, both domains show mutual dependencies - which are insufficiently or not at all considered by conventional development tools. The CONTACT solution uses a software article as abstraction level for the integrated management of PLM and ALM objects. The article can be integrated as a component in the bill of material. The ALM adapter ensures current software version statuses - and at the same time ensures that the high-frequency changes on the software side do not lead to an unnecessary accumulation of release processes in PLM.

Interdisciplinary change management

Technical changes in mechatronic and cybertronic products usually also require an adjustment of the coordination of hardware and software components. With CONTACT PLM-ALM integration you can realize an interdisciplinary change management. Changes can thus also be transferred to the software development system. As soon as the changes are implemented on the software side, the other disciplines can be informed automatically.

Technical changes in mechatronic and cybertronic products usually also require an adjustment of the coordination of hardware and software components. With CONTACT PLM-ALM integration you can realize an interdisciplinary change management. Changes can thus also be transferred to the software development system. As soon as the changes are implemented on the software side, the other disciplines can be informed automatically.

Connect hardware and software variants

Variants are a good example of the great potential of combining hardware and software. Product variants in mechanical and E/E development usually also require corresponding software variants. Structure your portfolio efficiently with CONTACT Variants by creating a set for variability early on, even before product structures exist: Using platforms, building blocks and product families, you can derive almost any variants with maximum BOMs and rules. The PLM-ALM interface ensures that variant definitions are automatically transferred from PLM to ALM.

Connect hardware and software variants

Variants are a good example of the great potential of combining hardware and software. Product variants in mechanical and E/E development usually also require corresponding software variants. Structure your portfolio efficiently with CONTACT Variants by creating a set for variability early on, even before product structures exist: Using platforms, building blocks and product families, you can derive almost any variants with maximum BOMs and rules. The PLM-ALM interface ensures that variant definitions are automatically transferred from PLM to ALM.

Variants are a good example of the great potential of combining hardware and software. Product variants in mechanical and E/E development usually also require corresponding software variants. Structure your portfolio efficiently with CONTACT Variants by creating a set for variability early on, even before product structures exist: Using platforms, building blocks and product families, you can derive almost any variants with maximum BOMs and rules. The PLM-ALM interface ensures that variant definitions are automatically transferred from PLM to ALM.

Easily integrate GitLab and other ALM systems

CONTACT's technology is based on open interfaces. We also actively promote the development of standards and open source software. For example, we support the development of OSLC standards for coupling enterprise systems and integrating PLM and ALM applications. For GitLab, one of the leading ALM solutions, CONTACT already provides such integration. And thanks to open source APIs, you can easily connect to other ALM systems.

 

CONTACT's technology is based on open interfaces. We also actively promote the development of standards and open source software. For example, we support the development of OSLC standards for coupling enterprise systems and integrating PLM and ALM applications. For GitLab, one of the leading ALM solutions, CONTACT already provides such integration. And thanks to open source APIs, you can easily connect to other ALM systems.