Implementing PDM

Wow so I was just thinking about PDM/PLM and it came to mind a number of disasters I've seen and also a number of successes as well.

What makes the difference?

Well quite simply I think three things make s difference and here they are.
  1. Using someone you can trust to do the implementation. It's a fallacy that anyone can implement PLM/PDM. The success of your project depends on finding the right people. This might be MORE important than choosing the right PLM tool. Be careful in your choice, a rookie (inexperienced person) is a HUGE gamble. It could cost you more than money, it could mean the difference between your company surviving and going under.
  2. Implementation methodology and project management. Again these are closely tied to choosing the right people. Check that the methodology used is REPRODUCIBLE that they have used it before and that they can demonstrate it hits all the right areas that typically cause PLM implementations to fail; namely scope creep and user acceptance.
  3. Finally (and no one in the industry will thank me for this) LUCK. Yep sometimes things are either with you or against you. I've seen well managed implementation with the right tools/methods etc go belly and conversely "I've seen seat of the pants" ones where everything is chaotic be roaring successes. The point here is QUANTIFYING and MANAGING RISKS. If you don't develop risk assessments and risk mitigation then you are condemning yourself. Be careful and smart
Good luck!

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