Diving into a new system can be nerve-racking, especially when it impacts your data and files. Even with trepidation, we know that having a product data management system, such as SOLIDWORKS PDM, is essential to business. We want to help ease some of the stress by providing you with five of our traits for a successful data management deployment.

1. Have a Plan

Before you can dive into deploying your data management system you need to make a plan. All of the traits in this blog, plus the other traits in our upcoming webinar, should be included in your strategy to be successful. For a strong outcome, you should also include timelines, key personnel, training classes and more. 

2. Keep It a Simple, Phased Approach

The K.I.S.S. method is your friend! After implementing 80+ companies we’ve noticed it goes downhill when they try to do too much too quickly. How can you avoid this trap? Make sure your plan includes milestones for the development. Each phase should factor in a period of time for assimilation. PDM is an evolution, let it happen organically. 

3. Company Culture & Politics 

Some people have reservations about new technology. In the ideal world, everyone that is going to use or be affected by PDM would be on board, but we know that’s not always the case. In several past implementations, there were key personnel who thought PDM wouldn’t work with them and that it would have a negative impact. To help them see how this program can actually improve their lives and designs, give them a level of ownership in the system. 

4. Current Processes

We highly recommend documenting what processes you aim to replace or augment with your new PDM system. From our past experience, a visual roadmap is typically best. If you’re planning on a phased approach method, which is slowly moving your files over time, you should then determine how you want to step into the more complex processes. 

5. Select Files

This step sets the stage for almost everything else. Don’t zoom in on file extensions at first. Start with more broad ideas, what groups, disciplines, teams, variables (metadata), etc. are going to use PDM. This will help you understand their needs and how to roll them in at the appropriate time. 

These traits are just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re interested in hearing more details around these five PLUS five more traits, stream our webinar!