2013 十二月 19

Overview: the 5 signs your PDM/PLM software isn’t doing the job.

At a recent webinar Centric shared the 5 signs that indicate your PDM/PLM software isn’t doing its job. In case you missed our event, we wanted to share the things to look for that could indicate you need to make a change.

1. Spreadsheet proliferation. Does this sound like you? Your teams choose spreadsheets over your existing PDM/PLM. Your software just doesn’t work for several key departments, including sourcing, marketing, merchandising, sales, compliance and quality management. Important information has become siloed within a specific department and other information has been duplicated in spreadsheets around the company. You really have no idea whose data is the right data. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to consider switching systems and looking at upgrade possibilities.

2. Difficulty adding products or lines. Perhaps you purchased your PDM/PLM to manage a single product category, but now you’re ready to grow and can’t. Or, you can add the categories and lines, but it is just as difficult as the initial implementation was! If your existing PDM/PLM inhibits your company’s ability to respond quickly to changing market opportunities you may have outgrown it.

3. Lack of innovation by your software provider. Lack of innovation is simply a symptom of a bigger problem. Perhaps your provder is focused on other industries and is channeling its resources to those areas. Or maybe the provider simply lacks the talent or financial resources to innovate. If innovation isn’t a primary focus for your provider it might be time to look elsewhere.

4. Heavily customized implementation/configuration. Customized implementations can be limiting because they are unlike any other company’s implementation. Upgrading is important because it allows you to get the latest features and stay current with industry practices. However, upgrading a customized system is time consuming and costly. Consider a configurable – rather than customizable – PLM software to remedy this.

5. Lack of vendor responsiveness or engagement. Your software provider should be working proactively to help you improve your business. But if the vendor’s interest in your needs and their responsiveness has dwindled, you will want to shop around. Another sign your vendor needs to go? If you notice they are not staying on top of industry trends and business practices.

If you’re ready to make a change, Centric is here to help. Contact us to learn more.