Air Force Product Lifecycle Management (AF-PLM)

  • Published
  • By Mr. Paul Cochran

Wright-Patterson AFB, OH -- The Air Force Product Lifecycle Management (AF-PLM) Capability Support Office has been diligent in its digital transformation efforts in support of the United States Air Force (USAF) Engineering Community.  In August, the program achieved two successful Go-Live events for both the Resilient-Embedded GPS Inertial Navigation System (R-EGI) and T-7A Programs.  These programs are now leveraging AF-PLM’s enhanced Contract Data Management (CDM) and Bill of Materials (BOM) Management Capabilities in Release 2.1.

  • Contract Data Management: The ability to capture, manage, control, and trace contract deliverables and associated work breakdown tasks, products, schedules, and costs.  Having CDM capability also allows for programs to integrate the technical baseline by linking supporting product configurations to contract deliverables and allows requirements traceability to CDRL delivery.
     
  • Bill of Materials (BOM) Management: Providing a common source of a multi-BOM view that spans the lifecycle supporting the engineering, logistics, and the maintenance communities.  BOM management is the capturing, configuring, and managing of all product data that is developed throughout the lifecycle of a product. BOM configuration management enables a single definition of variability that can be leveraged from planning through development, to manufacturing and beyond. This is foundational to enterprise PLM.

As new capabilities are added to AF-PLM, users will be able to leverage them, allowing their programs to continue their digital transformation journey.

The AF-PLM Capability Support Office has established a Senior Stakeholder Steering Committee to enable enterprise adoption of the platform and assist in requirements prioritization. Additionally, they will help resolve conflicts between programs, Program Executive Officers, and Centers on how to address Digital Systems Engineering and Lifecycle Management across the Air Force Enterprise. The Steering Committee members include representatives from:

  • SAF/AQD - Product Support Interests
  • AFMC/A4N - Logistics Interests
  • AFLCMC/EN - Acquisition/Systems Engineering/Delivery Interests
  • AFLCMC/XP-OZ - AF-PLM Program Interests and Chairs
     

This committee is a best practice from the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) and CIMdata (the leading independent global strategic management consulting authority focused exclusively on the PLM market).  The initial meeting occurred in June, with an ongoing monthly battle rhythm. 

The AF-PLM Capability Support Office, in conjunction with newly established Senior Stakeholder Steering Committee, brings decades of experience and commitment to facilitating digital transformation.  The depth and breadth of technical and programmatic experience enables AF-PLM to tailor, prioritize, and optimize digital transformation options and promote enterprise adoption of the tool.