How to Know If Customized PLM Solutions Are the Best Fit

July 5, 2012

When companies make the decision to implement product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions they are faced with an overwhelming number of vendors vying for their business.  While some vendors claim out-of-the-box solutions are the best, others claim customization is the way to go.  The MCAD Café article, “Understanding PLM System Customization”, tackles this issue.  The article gives examples of when out-of-the-box would work as well as customized solutions.  The recommendation, though, is a blend – configuration.

As the article wraps up,

“…organizations should steer clear of a dash to customize. It is to be expected that any new PLM system will have inadequacies, both factual and alleged. All workarounds and alternatives should be investigated first before making a commitment to changing the system. It is important to take into consideration that though customization might bring in a competitive gain, there are risks and costs associated with different types of customization. The heavier the customization is the riskier and costlier it becomes.”

We agree with the author in his analysis of companies who often go with a customized PLM solution:

 “Over-reliance on heavy customization suggests a deeper problem – It can mean that due to poor PLM selection and evaluation process, the software is ill-fitting with the business requirements.”

To avoid this situation we recommend companies leaning toward customized PLM solutions contact the professionals at Inforbix, a PLM solutions provider who strives to help each customer meet their PLM needs.  In most situations companies will realize a well-chosen PLM solution will do the job as well as a customized one.

Catherine Lamsfuss, July 5, 2012

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