The future of digitalization consulting - 10 years at STZ-RIM 🚀
I believe that sticking to traditional methods is a central dilemma of today's digitalization consulting! We use traditional methods and yet we suspect that new, much more powerful methods exist behind the scenes. Methods that can take our analysis and design skills in highly complex industrial environments to a new level.
I have been working as a digitalization consultant at STZ-RIM for 10 years now. How did it all begin? In 2005, when I was still a young digital factory consultant at Tecnomatix GmbH we received the news that we had been Unigraphics Solutions GmbH were taken over. Now I came into contact with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) for the first time.
The PLM experts at UGS promoted the features and functions of Teamcenter on the market. They often said to customers: "Tell me what you want and I'll implement it". Each customer got their own customized implementation, depending on what the Solution Architect thought was the right approach.
At the time, I intuitively sensed that this could not be sustainable. In 2006, I was given the task of dealing with the topic of product structures. In 2011, after more than a year of discussions in a BOM Best Practice Group, I was able to formulate the main features of a structural theory for the first time.
Late one morning in 2011, I came to an important realization: the information models (structures) in the IT systems (e.g. PLM, ERP, etc.) are the crystallization nuclei of the business processes in companies. Consequently, a company can be fully analyzed if you understand these models and the flow of information between them!
It changed everything. Based on this insight, from 2013 I developed methods, tools and process models at STZ-RIM that can be used to precisely describe, clearly model and design information architectures and flows in companies.
I have now been working in technology transfer at STZ-RIM for 10 years. The original ideas have developed into our RIM-Company Cubing method. A complete and consistent map system for companies that makes it possible for the first time to map companies completely and seamlessly. The precision with which we can now analyse and implement complex digitalization scenarios is unique.
Today, I am firmly convinced that companies need new types of tools and methods more than ever, methods that can guide them safely, precisely and directly on the path of transformation into the future.
Company Cubing and in particular the underlying methodological principles of the theory of compression and resolution levels are such a new approach and we are certain that it has the potential to be of decisive help here.
We cannot and do not want to keep the knowledge that we can formulate on the basis of our company cubing approach to ourselves.
You can find them here in the Blog and with YouTube.
Well, that's just my perspective.
What do you think?
What do you see as a priority for the transformation of companies in the future?
My team interviewed me on the occasion of the 10th anniversary and asked me the following questions:
- What has changed at STZ-RIM in the last 10 years?
- Was there a special experience during this time? What was my best moment?
- What would I say I am like as a boss, how do I lead my employees?
- What role do I see the STZ-RIM playing in the future? What do the next 10 years look like?
The interview is available in this LinkedIn post to see.
