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GERBER TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT
A Process for Successful Selection,
Planning and Implementation
of a PLM Solution
A Process for Successful Selection,
Planning and Implementation
of a PLM Solution
Table of Contents
Despite the current economic malaise ........................................................................................................2
Phase One: Discover ..................................................................................................................................3
Human Resource Considerations .............................................................................................................3
Cross-Functional Project Team .................................................................................................................3
Determine Business Objectives and Requirements; Set Realistic Expectations ......................................4
Process Requirements ................................................................................................................................4
Functional Requirements ...........................................................................................................................5
User Requirements .....................................................................................................................................5
Document Requirements .......................................................................................................................5
Technical Requirements .............................................................................................................................5
Training and Implementation Requirements ............................................................................................6
Budgets: The Chicken and the Egg .............................................................................................................6
Phase Two: Design ....................................................................................................................................7
Phase Three: Develop ...............................................................................................................................8
Easy Does It .............................................................................................................................................9
Phase Four: Deploy .................................................................................................................................9
Roll Out Functionality .............................................................................................................................9
Phase Five: Drive and Extend ..................................................................................................................9
Implementation Evaluation and Analysis ..............................................................................................9
Sustaining the Solution and Preparing for the Next Initiative ............................................................10
Summary ...............................................................................................................................................10
The Human Factor ................................................................................................................................10
Keep it Simple .......................................................................................................................................10
Look for Best Practices and Rely on External Professional Services .....................................................11
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nent, which connects and enables the collaboration of
all business stakeholders functional, procedural and
technical.
All elements from process needs, technical needs,
equipment needs and even corporate culture and
change management are key elements to success-
ful implementation. Each must be considered as an
integral part of all others.
Product lifecycle managements three primary bene-
fits, according to companies participating, are faster
time to market, lower product costs and improved
design.
- AMR Research
Gerber Technology recommends companies follow a
five-phased approach to identify, implement and sus-
tain a successful PLM solution. These phases are:
- Discover
- Design
- Develop
- Deploy
- Drive and extend
As it relates to the time and resources required during
each of these phases, its important to note that there
is no standard. However, some retail and apparel
companies that already have adopted the discipline of
lean manufacturing and a culture of continuous
improvement may be able to leverage this to expedite
the Discovery and Design phases. For others for
whom this realm of business process is a newer con-
cept, it may take a bit longer upfront, but certainly will
pay off in a successful implementation, and the find-
ings within the phases can be applied across other
disciplines within the company for continuous
improvement and enhanced efficiencies.
Despite the current economic
malaise, apparel and footwear
manufacturers and retailers still
see product innovation as a
strategic investment.
- Jeffrey Hojlo and Janet Suleski,
AMR Research
Even though the apparel and retail industry continues to
contract amidst current economic and geopolitical condi-
tions, planned investments in Product Lifecycle
Management (PLM) systems remain strong.
Nowmore than ever, companies are embracing the ben-
efits that a PLMsystemcan provide across the business
enterprise. Designers, manufacturers and retailers rec-
ognize that some type of PLM solution will protect and
enhance their competitiveness by enabling them to
become more efficient and more nimble.
However, identifying which solution is best and then how
to implement it are critical the devil is in the detail.
Successful implementation is the result of many factors
working interdependently.
The secret to success is for the companys different dis-
ciplines to work upfront collectively, yet precisely, to
define requirements based on expectations. What is the
PLMsolution expected to provide in terms of efficiencies
as well as functionalities? Once a solution is identified,
careful and methodical implementation can make or
break the success of even the best solution. Leveraging
an industry expert from outside the company helps to
efficiently guide and mediate the process. As it relates to
PLM systems and the processes to select and imple-
ment them, one size does not fit all. Moreover, the PLM
software is not the solution in and of itself. The PLM
system is the common thread. It is the central compo-
2
Companies that have adopted the culture of continuous
improvement are well-positioned to take action. For
those companies, there is less of a learning curve as it
relates to PLM selection and implementation. Like any
newundertaking, however, it can be easy to get wrapped
up in the initial excitement and ascribe unreasonable
expectations as it relates to time, effort and outcomes.
Additionally, management can exert pressure to rapidly
realize ROI. Expecting radical change in short order
runs the risk of establishing unrealistic expectations in
which case any improvements realized will be deemed
insufficient.
Phase One:
Discover
This first phase is where all of the groundwork is laid to
ensure success during subsequent phases and
beyond. The outcomes of the Discover phase will be
leveraged throughout the process to ensure the pro-
gram and its deliverables stay on track.
Human Resource Considerations:
Senior Level Program Champions
Be sure that a program sponsor (champion) remains
involved throughout the (PLM) implementation.
- Mark Harrop, Director, Product Development
Partnership, Limited.
Successful selection and implementation of any
Product Lifecycle Management solution requires buy-in
and support fromall levels of the company. One way to
ensure success is to have a company executive as
program champion. This enables top-down program
visibility to ensure that all functional areas are being
considered accordingly, and can help to drive the
process through inevitable stumbling blocks.
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Cross-Functional Project Team
A cross-functional team is important to success. It
ensures that various stakeholders provide input and
feedback to needs requirements and facilitates pro-
gram buy-in. It also works to avoid the risk of tripping
over blind spots. These are roadblocks/hindrances
that may be significant such as computer hardware
needs or lacking interoperability of systems, or simply
groups of people who may struggle with an us versus
them mentality. Leverage the cross-functional team
to ensure transparency of business processes, effi-
ciencies, best practices and areas for improvement.
Identify all functional areas of the company which will
either actively use or be affected by a newsystemand
what their business requirements are. These areas
include:
- Planners
- Designers & Technical Designers
- Merchandisers
- Information Technology
- Business Management/Administration/Finance/
Accounting
- Sourcing & Production
- Vendors/Partners
Once stakeholders are identified, then roles and
responsibilities can be defined and assigned.
Determine Business Objectives and
Requirements; Set Realistic Expectations
Although lofty sounding, its critical to define and
agree on the business objectives. Well-articulated
business objectives will answer questions such as:
What will a PLM system achieve for the company?
How do we measure success? How long will this
take? How much of peoples time and financial
resources can we realistically dedicate to a program?
Will there be a team dedicated full-time to selecting
and implementing a new system, or will these team
members also be required to fulfill some or all of their
current deliverables? Which responsibilities will take
priority? Also important is to look into the longer term.
Identifying future needs will ensure that a solution or
system will have scalability. It can be designed and
implemented with the necessary infrastructure that can
accommodate anticipated needs.
Some goals to consider include:
- Revenue growth
- Geographic expansion
- Product line expansion
- Changes in channels to market (ex. Adding e-busi-
ness or adding brick-and-mortar)
- Technological or IT upgrades
- Anticipated industry advances (ex. Improved or more
accessible point-of-sale data capture)
Defining and communicating expectations at the outset
can be critical to successful selection and implementa-
tion. Once expectations are defined, its time to build a
project team.
Process Requirements
In the discipline of continuous improvement, waste is
defined as a process or operation that consumes
resources but does not create value. (Lean Horizons,
LLC)
When defining process requirements, it can be helpful
to follow the lean manufacturing tools such as process
and value stream mapping. Identifying key processes,
key process participants, critical paths and interdepen-
dencies will help to identify critical functional needs.
In some cases, companies may not have a document-
ed or consistent process for every activity. Is there a
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process? If so, is it adding value? Identifying the gaps
and understanding what does or does not make sense
to implement is important.
Although it is important to document and standardize
key processes, it may not make sense to automate
every process. Determining that should be easy once
requirements of the PLM solution to be implemented
are well-defined.
Key questions to ask when mapping out process
requirements include:
- Where are the integration points? At what point does
one participant or function end its task and pass it on
to the next?
- Where are the bottlenecks?
- Where are mistakes being made?
- Where are there duplications of efforts or opportuni-
ties to streamline?
- Are there tasks that are more flexible than others,
whether it be within the context of time constraints,
process constraints or task owner?
- What is the critical path? Are there some tasks that
can be conducted in parallel, while others must wait
for another task to be completed?
This last point is particularly poignant for the apparel
industry. More so than in many other manufacturing
industries, design and development often are happen-
ing simultaneously, with design changes continuing
right through to production. Rapid and efficient bidirec-
tional flow of information is critical.
Once key processes have been mapped and improve-
ment opportunities identified, its important to prioritize.
What improvements will be the easiest to implement?
Which will offer the most impact?
Functional Requirements
Once business requirements have been well defined,
the team can use them as a basis to get to a level of
greater specificity and flesh out the functional require-
ments.
Examples of functional requirements include:
- Data sharing
- Single entry of reusable data
- Reporting capabilities
- Eliminating bottlenecks
Looking ahead to future needs is also critical to long-
term success. PLM solutions by nature, no matter how
large or small, pose long-term business implications.
This is yet another area where a programchampion can
provide insight to longer-term requirements to which
team members may not be privy.
User Requirements
This is where a team comprised of stakeholders from
across the business can be leveraged well. Each
member should work with his or her department to
develop and prioritize a list of requirements. When the
PLMsolutions teamconvenes, each member is able to
represent what his/her functional needs are. This
uncovers the many overlaps, which can rapidly identify
the big hitters improvements that will add great
value across the company yet are relatively easy to
deploy. It also can identify conflicting priorities. This is
where a senior level program champion may need to
intervene to help prioritize accordingly.
Document Requirements
With the high level goals and the functional require-
ments identified, the project team can proceed again
to the next level of specificity. What types of docu-
ments will the PLM system manage and/or process?
How many documents or even how many styles will
be managed? Some examples might include:
- Merchandise plans
- Design Plans/Storyboards
- Tech packs
- Reports
- Purchase orders
- Vendor scorecards
- Customs documents
Will existing documents or data be imported to the
new system? What metadata (database fields) will be
tracked with each type of document? Is there a need
to access historical documents?
Technical Requirements
Understanding technical requirements cannot be
understated. Agreat process and a great solution can
be inhibited if the systems architecture or hardware
capabilities cannot accommodate the solutions
requirements for data storage, volume or speed. This
would be analogous to the case of the major universi-
ty, which built a beautiful library, but did not calculate
the structural requirements to accommodate the
weight of the books. This was a well-publicized snafu
that cost millions of dollars and years to rectify.
Examples of hardware requirements to consider
include:
- Servers
- Network/infrastructure: Both internal and external.
Will the company be working with suppliers or partners
in countries that may not have advanced IT infrastruc-
ture available to them?
- Internet speed and bandwidth
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Software requirements to consider include:
- Image management tools
- Workflow
- Supply chain
- Data integration applications and requirements
- Sufficient database licenses
How will the system leverage partner/supplier collabo-
ration? Which legacy systems and/or data does the
company want to preserve? With what other systems
will the solution need to communicate?
Training & Implementation Requirements
Other key elements to ensure success during the go-
live event and beyond are to determine and articulate
training and implementation requirements. Its impor-
tant to consider what approach will work best for
training users on the system and to keep in mind that
it does not end after user acceptance training. As
new employees join the company, as new enhance-
ments and system upgrades are added and as new
vendors come on board, ongoing training is important
to maintain an effective PLM solution.
Each approach presents benefits and drawbacks, each
with different requirements. Often, the best implemen-
tations are comprised of a combination of approaches.
These approaches include:
- Train-the-trainer, where internal power
users are empowered to train other users
- Internal training administered by the IT department
- External consultants
Comprehensive implementation requirements must
include specific actions and timetables to map out the
rollout process. Examples of requirements to define
include:
- Determining test environments
- Defining the number and duration of dry runs
- Clearly defining the disaster recovery procedures
Budgets: The Chicken and the Egg
Setting and managing expectations for a PLM solution
and its implementation also requires careful considera-
tion of all of the costs associated with it. Beyond the
purchase of the software, there are other elements,
which can be both time consuming and expensive.
Anticipating and planning for these can help to avoid
the gotchas which put projects over budget and
behind schedule. These include:
Consulting costs:
- Business
- Systems
- Project management
- Administrative services
Implementation and Training costs:
- Administration
- End-user
Training manuals and/or sessions:
- Initial set-up and configuration
- Customization
- Integration
Ongoing support & software maintenance:
- Guaranteed access to support
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Technology infrastructure:
- Back-end client/server database
- Operating system upgrades
- Image management tool upgrades
- Bandwidth
- Storage
- Security
Phase Two:
Design
The design phase is akin to developing blueprints or
patterns and tech packs for a garment. It is the process
of taking the stakeholder input from the discover phase
and developing a comprehensive, specific project plan
to map out howto meet the needs that were defined. In
short, its a project plan.
Once the business and its teams have defined goals,
expectations, budget, timelines and the requirements,
the next step is to design the solution. In the Design
phase, a comprehensive and specific project plan is
developed which maps out how to achieve the required
results.
Having all of the needs well-defined upfront facilitates
clear communication of the requirements of a systems
design and functionality. It also enables a project to be
mapped out with specific tasks and timelines.
During the Design phase, the specific processes and
day-to-day actions across functions are mapped out to
provide a comprehensive view of the current state.
From this point, it is important to identify specific exam-
ples of waste or gaps in the process, which must be
eliminated or mitigated.
These include:
- Wasted effort
- Mistakes
- Waiting time: Where are the bottlenecks?
- Redundancy and duplication of efforts: Two different
groups entering the same data, or the same group
required to enter data in more than one location
- Inefficiencies in cycle time
- Global capabilities/Scalability: Does the system need
to accommodate anticipated future global expansion?
Does the system need to accommodate different lan-
guages or different types of operating systems?
The project plan evolves as processes are mapped and
improvements identified. Flow charts clearly identify
and assign roles and tasks based on workflow. What is
the critical path? Where are the process dependencies
and where is there flexibility? Are there opportunities to
streamline by reallocating process steps to enable par-
allel paths?
At this point, it is helpful to re-examine specific process
owners, roles and responsibilities and renegotiate them
if needed. It is common for redundancies and inefficien-
cies to be identified. It is important that the team com-
municate single points of ownership and accountability.
As the process map evolves, key milestones are identi-
fied. Clearly defined milestones are keystones to the
design of the PLM solution. A well-designed solution
will incorporate system architecture and workflow
requirements that will enable efficiency throughout the
process and across stakeholders regardless of func-
tion or physical location around the world. Exception
management and dashboard visibility are becoming
increasingly critical.
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When selecting and designing a solution, seek to pre-
serve existing investments wherever possible.
Unnecessarily starting from scratch can be expen-
sive, time-consuming and difficult to implement. In
addition to the hardware, software and process ele-
ments of radical change, the human element cannot
be underestimated. Its more likely that stakeholders
will remain engaged and effectively embrace solu-
tions that build upon systems and processes to which
they already are accustomed.
At the culmination of the Design phase, the teamwill be
armed with a well-defined roadmap for the rest of the
program, including specific project plans and sched-
ules. At this time, system architecture and design
including initial system configuration requirements
will be defined. Other key items to define in order to
ensure that a fluid and scalable PLM system is imple-
mented include:
- Quotation management
- Tech pack management
- Artwork management
- Sample tracking
- Line management
- Hierarchy of data and tables
Phase Three:
Develop
This stage is the bridge between planning and imple-
mentation. During this period of the process, the PLM
application and its components are developed, built,
configured and installed based on the requirements
defined in the Design phase.
This includes elements such as:
- Configuring the solution to meet the process require-
ments
- Configuring and populating data tables such as labor
and operation codes, contacts, partners, points-of-
measure and raw materials
- Configuring tracking and reporting capabilities
- Setting up user groups and defining user roles and
responsibilities
- Setting up milestones and workflow process and
establishing templates to enable tracking
- Integrating to external systems including enterprise
resource planning (ERP)
To provide consistency and ensure that the PLMimple-
mentation moves smoothly fromconcept to delivery, its
important that the company and its vendor continue an
ongoing partnership and dialogue. The company
should expect ongoing communication and collabora-
tion with technical experts as well as process experts
and those who are well versed in the companys spe-
cific processes, requirements and expectations.
It is important to leverage the knowledge of best prac-
tices gained from experience with other industry-spe-
cific businesses. Anyone in the fashion industry
knows that it presents its own set of unique challenges
and opportunities. Just like a design must move swift-
ly and efficiently from concept through delivery, so too
must a PLM solution.
Easy Does It
During the system installation, the out-of-the-box
functionality is configured and the data is populated.
Just as it is important to leverage a companys existing
best practices to mitigate radical change, it is also use-
ful to leverage the configurable capabilities of a system
whenever possible.
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By configuring capabilities versus customizing
them, the company will be more easily able to adapt
the solution as processes evolve or the companys
needs evolve. Especially in the fashion industry,
needs and requirements change as often as the
fickle desires of the trend-driven consumers change.
Often times, changing configurations is something the
company can do itself whereas customization can be
both time-consuming and expensive should the vendor
be required to reevaluate and make customized
changes.
Phase Four:
Deploy
The Deployment phase tests and validates the applica-
tion with a pilot group. During this phase, not only are
the systems configuration, integration and functionality
validated, but so too is the plan design. This is to ensure
that the solution is accomplishing the goals laid out in
the discovery section. At this point, end users are
trained to ensure that they understand their roles and
how to perform them.
It is important in this phase to ensure that change man-
agement plans are in place. In the event that some-
thing needs to be modified, there must be a clearly
defined process to quickly develop, approve and imple-
ment it.
Roll Out Functionality
Just as the solution itself may best be separated into a
modular approach, so too becomes the implementation
of the solution no matter how many or how few mod-
ules/functionalities are involved.
By taking a phased approach and using a pilot group to
roll out the solutions functionalities, a company is able
to validate and test the new system in a more manage-
able environment. This reduces the resources required
to monitor implementation and keep it on track. It also
enables teams to more readily identify and rectify any
potential glitches. Measuring success is faster and eas-
ier, and affords the pilot team the time to acclimate to a
new system and to internalize new processes.
Success breeds success and helps to build momen-
tum. Realizing benefit from a well-defined and con-
tained group helps to prove out the system and works
to develop early adopters and system evangelists.
Participants with functional knowledge and a positive
experience will spread their enthusiasm and be eager
to help and share that knowledge as the implementa-
tion advances to the next stages.
Phase Five:
Drive and Extend
At this phase, the focus is twofold to accommodate
both short- and long-termgoals. First is to complete the
deployment to all sites and portals of the systemas val-
idated and/or modified. The second component
ensures that a continuous improvement mindset is
maintained and enables supplementary enhancements
and/or integration of additional content or functionality.
Implementation Evaluation and Analysis
Once the system is in place, the job is still not com-
plete. Its important to take the time and leverage the
companys internal and external solutions teams to
perform post-implementation review. At this point,
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feedback should be solicited from all users and part-
ners to ensure that all understand and are benefiting
from the new processes that are in place. What
worked? What could have worked better? What
went wrong? Ensure the process continues to
evolve by establishing a program for ongoing train-
ing for system enhancements, software upgrades
and new employees. Software support should never
be considered optional as it is an inexpensive and
valuable way to ensure that all users are working
with the latest software versions and are made
aware of changes.
Make sure there is a mechanismfor end user feedback
and problem reporting. Sometimes a single user can
identify a function or communicate a tip with potentially
wide-sweeping benefit. Likewise, quickly identify
potential improvements to enable proactive feedback
to the solutions provider as they seek to continuously
improve and enhance the system. Establish a change
management process for implementing enhancements
and upgrades; sometimes it can be as easy as using a
simplified version of the initial implementation process.
Sustaining the Solution and Preparing for the Next
Initiative
As is the nature of continuous process improvement,
its important not only to sustain the new PLM solu-
tion, but also to look for the next opportunity to grow.
Part and parcel of a comprehensive rollout is to
include feedback and analysis to complete the cycle.
This includes reporting on that analysis to identify
potential improvements, refinements or enhance-
ments.
Summary
In summary, there are some key elements and consid-
erations for successful PLM implementation.
The Human Factor
The human factor can never be underestimated; from
understanding work styles to garnering buy-in, these
less tangible and measurable elements are as impor-
tant as the programs, modules and processes that a
PLM system provides and facilitates. Cultures and
personalities can vary from company to company, so
its important to be self-aware. On a broader scale,
different industries tend to have their own personali-
ties. Gerber Technology has been focused on the
apparel and retail industries for more than four
decades now. The company is part, parcel and prod-
uct of these industries unique cultures.
Keep it Simple
Often, the simplest solution that achieves the business
objectives may be the best. Gerbers advice for PLM
selection and implementation is for a company to look
first to protect and extend its investments. Especially in
these unsettled times, it can be very risky to undergo
radical change. Just like building a wardrobe, if you
have a few great pieces that are well-designed, well-
made, fit well and work for you, it makes no sense to
throw away the entire contents of your closet and start
over.
Just like users of home computers, some companies
may need extremely sophisticated and robust PLM
solutions. Others eventually may need enhanced func-
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tionality, and therefore need the platform to accommo-
date those future needs. Still others will thrive with the
basics. Measure requirements and success not by all of
the functionalities the solution provides, but instead
measure them based on which solution is the best fit.
At Gerber Technology, we focus on meeting both the
short and longer term needs and are able to accommo-
date a phased adoption to PLM that is right-sized for
requirements.
Look for Best Practices and Rely on External
Professional Services
With so many retail and apparel companies going
through the same processes, and with so many consult-
ing and professional resources, dont go it alone all
together. Look to professional services as partners.
Expect themto share what theyve learned through past
implementations. Expect them to recommend best
practices based on their experience, even if you choose
to implement your own.
Remaining competitive depends on ensuring that all
areas of the business fromdevelopment through sup-
ply chain are consistently working in concert. Supply
chain visibility is important, however supply chain flexi-
bility is becoming increasingly vital in order to facilitate
the requirements to remain nimble to get the right quan-
tities of the right product to the right place at the right
time and at the right cost to ensure profitability.
Just as no two companies needs are the same, no two
vendors are the same. Each vendor offers its unique
benefits, and selection should be based on careful con-
sideration of the prioritized list of requirements. Product
offering, service offering, training and implementation all
are important considerations.
One important consideration transcends those of cost
and capabilities. Company cultures, personalities and
relationships cannot be underestimated. Of course,
every vendor must provide a solid solution, and every
vendor must be knowledgeable and trustworthy its
business would not survive otherwise.
During the vendor selection process, consider moving
beyond standard demonstrations and presentations.
Take some time to get to know the people who would
work on your account. Can you relate to them? Have
they walked in your shoes?
Whether implementing a full PLM system or extending
an existing one, these considerations, combined with a
collaborative approach with an expert vendor, will
ensure that the process is a positive experience with a
rapid ROI. Even during the most trying times for the
fashion industry.
www.gerbertechnology.com
Corporate Headquarters
Gerber Technology
24 Industrial Park Road West
Tolland, CT 06084, USA
Phone: +1 860 871 8082
April 2009

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