Nordic PLM News asked Annelie Uvhagen, Services Manager in the Automotive and Machinery group at Technia, to give us her recommendations for small organizations considering implementing a PLM solution.
When talking about implementation projects in smaller organizations it is important to find out the unique conditions for the project. The scope of the project is often set by a limited budget and therefore it is essential to focus on standard solutions and make as few changes as possible until the application is up and running. Once the application is implemented it is easier to prioritize change requests and only implement those changes that will lead to significant business benefits for the company.
When it comes to requested functionality the wanted scope of the solution if often exactly the same for a smaller organization as for a bigger one. This means that almost the same implementation job needs to be done in the project - but with fewer resources. A good thing to do in this case is to work in close cooperation in all phases of the project and use people from the organization to perform time-consuming activities such as testing etc.
To be able to work this way the consultants need to be very flexible. At the same time they must be able to say no to requests that are out-of-scope and guide the project team to good decisions. Otherwise the project might end up too expensive or the solution might be too complex.
All implementation projects need strong support from the company executives to be successful. Fortunately, it is often easier to get that support in a small company where the executives are involved heavily in all major decisions.
As I said before, it is extra important for smaller organizations to try to go for standard "out-of-the-box" solutions. This will keep the costs as low as possible and at least 80% of the requirements will be fulfilled at once. The extra 20% of the requirements are most often unknown until the end users have started working with the application.
The number of users in a small organization is not that big. However, most of the company roles are represented and therefore the scope of the solution is almost the same as in a large organization. This is another reason why it is a good idea to go for standard solutions where all the processes are already in place. Small companies are often more flexible to adapt these solutions as well.
Think big but start small. Make sure you go for a solution that can grow in the same way that your company grows.
Make sure that every one involved is aware of and have accepted the project budget and scope.
Try to put together a project group where the members have the authority to make decisions quickly without having to confirm every detail with other people in the organization.
Try to recruit a project manager that is dedicated to the assignment and well organized. The project manager doesn't have to have a technical background with a strong opinion in every case. It might even be an advantage to have a more neutral project manager in the decision making process.
Try to end the project as soon as the implementation has been done and start handling change requests instead.
Don't forget the importance of system administration and maintenance to keep your system in good shape even after the project ending.