Due to the development of new technologies and the increasing connectivity of manufacturing, non-it sectors face new challenges. An increasing amount of software-based components also affects the revenue distribution between the product-based and digital revenues. Hence, today´s non-it companies have to face it-related challenges and thus require software product management. In particular, platforms could enable
customers and partners to be involved in value creation more closely. Platforms are no longer indispensable in different fields, e.g. mobile devices, connected cars or enterprise software. This development is also expected for manufacturing companies in Europe.
That is why platforms become more and more important for non-it companies, as the production no longer stops at the company´s borders. Platform-based structures could positively influence the collaboration with partners from other industries and domains in value-creation networks. Important questions, considering enterprise environment are, how can the potentials of a platform be effectively used and what risks must be
taken into account from a company’s perspective. This includes opening up for external partners and so-called complementors, who develop and offer their products and services based on a platform. Opening up platforms can be a challenging transformation and an established software product management is required to support it.
Implementing the appropriate platform-based structures can be a major challenge for non-it companies. Firstly, some IT companies already dominate some platform-based markets. Secondly, platforms within platform-centric ecosystems differ greatly from classical enterprise software, based on their success-influencing factors. Additionally platforms require new business models and new fields of action in a company´s strategy. Therefore, science and practitioners must tackle these software product management related challenges together.

In addition to his ISPMA membership, Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Georg Herzwurm has been a member of the Executive Board of the Business Administration Institute at the University of Stuttgart and heads the Chair of Information Systems II. Since 2013, he has been a member of the directors board and director of the "Management of Global Manufacturing Networks" cluster of the graduate school GSaME (graduate school of excellence advanced manufacturing engineering) in Stuttgart (Germany). He is also a founding member and spokesman of the QFD-Institut Deutschland and Director of the International Council for QFD (ICQFD). Because of his contributions to the development and promotion of QFD, he received the international Akao Prize in 2000. Furthermore he is a honorary advisor of Asia QFD Association. Prof. Dr. Herzwurm is the spokesman of the WI-MAW (management of application development and maintenance) committee of the Gesellschaft für Informatik eV. (GI) and belongs to the Steering Committee of the International Conference on Software Business. His activities at the chair include numerous teaching and research projects in the context of start-up management. In addition, Herzwurm worked as an adviser to the state government within the framework of the ICT summit in Baden-Württemberg in 2013 and supervises projects in the LivingLab BWe mobil of the BMBF top-cluster electromobility Süd-West. Prof. Dr. Herzwurm is also committed to supporting interested students who are interested in foundations within the initiative of the so-called EXIST start-up grants of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy.