VISUALIZATION MODEL FOR PRODUCT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) demonstrated to be a good strategy for manufacturing enterprises. In spite of all the benefits it is not still clear how to implement it in industry. This article presents a visualization model of enterprise processes for a PLM system. It presents in a graphic way the main elements of a product lifecycle. The model identifies what is done (process, activities), when it is done (workflows), who does what (roles - skills) and how it can be done better (methods and tools). UML-RUP is used as representation technique. A case study, which analyzes the specification and inspection procedures of geometric tolerances according to the GPS approach, proves the convenience of this model for supporting PLM implementation.