APPLY THESE 5 STRATEGIC STEPS TO FOSTER A HEALTHY PLM ADOPTION
When a new PLM system is introduced without a solid adoption plan, you can only hope for the best, but hoping is not a strategy... The PLM you choose is intended to be a powerful tool to assist teams in focusing their time and energy the most productive way. Choosing the best PLM is pointless if the tool is not embraced by the teams. If PLM adoption is your goal, these 5 strategic steps will help you avoid PLM adoption issues.
1. PLM Selection
Begin empowering your team by involving them when it comes to choosing a PLM that supports your company’s needs.
Allow your team to evaluate the PLM options and provide feedback. Input from your team will help match your organizations’ specific requirements to the right tool. The biggest mistake team leads make when introducing a PLM, is not leveraging their team’s knowledge and business processes.
Knowing you’ve considered their feedback during the selection process, will help foster a healthy PLM adoption.
2. Explain the WIIFM
Now that you’ve introduced PLM to your team, show the value (What’s in It for me).
Begin integrating PLM into the beginning of your business process.
Continue to emphasize that PLM is intended to create efficiencies, not busy work.
Assure your team that they have your support and understanding that the process of change requires leadership and patience, which starts at the top.
Your teams know that the industry is becoming increasingly more data driven. More reliable data about products and customers gives them the ability to optimize their performance. Tying performance review and compensation to PLM will help foster a healthy PLM adoption.
3. Lead by Example
Lead by example so your team can lead on every level.
Begin utilizing PLM and taking advantage of some of the benefits of it and your team will do the same. For example, if your team knows you rely on reporting from PLM, behaviors will begin to change, and data integrity will Improve.
Support optimizing of business processes and PLM capabilities as business needs changes will help foster a healthy PLM adoption.
4. Educate and Reinforce
Train your team on PLM and it will be time well-spent in the long run.
Involve key team members in the implementation and training process and don’t rush through it. A good training program will give the users the base knowledge needed to focus on using PLM effectively.
Ensure the training is effective. Over communicate how PLM should be used and the benefits of using it.
Monitor the usage on a continual basis to make sure your teams are using the system as intended. Reliable and consistent data provides measurable metrics to meet targeted performance indicators
Publicly acknowledge and reward those leading the charge will help foster a healthy PLM adoption.
5. Keep it Simply Strategic
Starting out, your goal should be to create alignment and buy-in among leadership.
Do not to over complicate the process. Utilizing PLMs extra features may add complexity and cost to what should be seamless and simple to use. Choose PLM functionality wisely.
Be mindful and limit the amount of information your team is required to enter into your PLM system. The partnership between people and technology should create powerful and consistent results.
Minimizing anguish during the adoption process will benefit your bottom line and help foster a healthy PLM adoption.
Don’t Just Do It… Be Strategic, Plan, Implement, Educate, and your team will Embrace PLM!
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