Meeting the Challenges of Transitioning PLM Implementations
Anyone who has ever attempted to move from one version of an enterprise software application to the “new improved” version knows that upgrades can be painful and costly. The critical elements of any enterprise software upgrade are data compatibility, ease of deployment, and compelling business benefits from the upgrade. Data compatibility is something that cannot be an afterthought. It has to be designed into the new version of the software. Ease of deployment of complex enterprise software requires robust and flexible state-of the-art architecture. It requires hardware and networking considerations. It requires that the software solution has captured the customer business process it is trying to transform. And above all it demands a unique long term partnership with the software vendor.
I met Teamcenter customers, Rolls-Royce, Sandvik Mining & Construction, Philips, BSH, and other, during a recent Siemens PLM Conference. All these customers have either gone through transition or are in the process of transitioning to the “new improved” version of Teamcenter – a unified PLM environment. They all are driven by similar motivation. They all want global engineering collaboration. They all want to reduce the number of different applications/systems used in the PLM process. They want, for example, visibility of requirements throughout their products’ lifecycle. They all want the ability to present the right BOM for the right function. They want to be able to develop a reusable platform strategy. For these customers this is transformational. They are going beyond simple PDM – CAD data management and check-in/check-out.
We are excited about this transformational transition. So with that in mind, we worked with industry analyst firm CIMdata to develop a white paper on the subject of “PLM Transitions” in an attempt to share some lessons learned from real world companies. The white paper is a detailed case study of 3 Teamcenter customers from different regions and different industries. Each one with a strong vision of unified PLM. The case studies highlight their journeys of Teamcenter upgrades and their continuous evolution of transformation of the innovation process. As you might imagine, some of the keys to success include planning, communication and working closely with your PLM vendor.
If you are considering a significant PLM upgrade, you might want to read this white paper first. You might also want to listen to an interview that our own Bill Carrelli, VP of Strategic Marketing, conducted with CIMdata’s Ken Amann on this same topic.
After you read the white paper and listen to the interview, let me know what you think – especially if you can offer additional thoughts on how to best execute a successful transition to a “new and improved” PLM environment!
