One-to-One: Planview has Big Plans for PPM (and is bringing friends)

I had the chance to talk with … the team at Planview earlier this month about their plans for the product portfolio management (PPM) market. Although they have historically focused on ITPM (information technology portfolio management), I was encouraged by what I heard from the Planview team. I am very cautious when I hear manufacturers consider historically IT-focused portfolio management solutions for product development. Despite the fact that on the surface PPM and ITPM needs seem similar, there are some very fundamental differences. Planview, however, deserves a second look.

What do they Do?

As I mentioned, Planview has historically focused on helping companies make investment decisions on portfolios of IT projects, and helped companies execute against those plans. I have had personal experience with attempting to repurpose an ITPM solution to serve PPM needs. I recognize the challenges involved in making the software work for a different purpose, and also in developing the product development knowledge within the vendor required to help manufacturers leverage the solution. Planview appears to have invested the time and effort to make the transition. In addition, there are other factors that help give me confidence that they are sincere about PPM:

• They are partnered with Siemens PLM, who certainly understands product development and offers the Planview solution as their PPM offering (through an OEM agreement)
• They have acquired Stage-Gate certification indicating they meet the needs of product development execution at a minimum
  
• They have a legacy PPM product, prior to adding PPM to Planview

Planview’s scope includes portfiolio analysis, resource management, and project execution. In addition, they offer an analytics solution and help with risk management and financial planning.

Who do they Work with?

Planview’s traditional ITPM solution is positioned across industries, as the needs of each industry to manage their IT investments are not that different. The PPM offering, however, is primarily targeted towards manufacturers. Manufacturing companies should give Planview a serious look, and evaluate the solution specifically for PPM needs. In addition, manufacturers need to look closely at their consultants in addition to the software. Depending on what they find, manufacturers may want to engage a consulting firm with deep PPM expertise to augment Planview’s professional services team if they need significant help in developing their PPM strategy and processes. My prior research into PPM indicates that (more than even for other enterprise software) paying attention to process is critical to achieving positive results.

So that’s what I hear from Planview, I hope you found it useful. What do you think? What else should I have asked them?