How to Assess Current PLM/PDM Maturity and Legacy Systems


 
Before investing in a new Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) or Product Data Management (PDM) solution or upgrading to a modern platform, it’s critical to understand where your organization stands today. A well-structured assessment ensures you identify process gaps, avoid costly surprises, and build a transformation roadmap with measurable ROI. Once this foundation is in place, organizations can move forward with a proven approach such as the Windchill PLM Implementation Plan: End-to-End Framework

1. Define the Business Objectives First

Your assessment should begin with clearly understanding why you are evaluating PLM/PDM maturity.
 Common drivers include:

  • Reducing engineering change cycle times

  • Improving collaboration between design, manufacturing, and suppliers

  • Consolidating fragmented data sources into a single source of truth

  • Meeting regulatory compliance more efficiently

Tip: Frame goals in business terms (time savings, cost reduction, compliance risk mitigation) so stakeholders outside engineering can see the value.

2. Evaluate Current System Capabilities

Audit your existing PLM/PDM or legacy systems against core capability areas:

  • Data Management: How are CAD, BOM, and document files stored, secured, and version-controlled?

  • Collaboration: How do cross-functional teams (engineering, quality, supply chain) share data?

  • Workflow Automation: Are engineering change orders, approvals, and release processes automated or manual?

  • Integration: Can your system exchange data with ERP, MES, CRM, and other enterprise applications?

  • Scalability & Performance: Does the system handle your current data volume without slowdowns?

Use a capability maturity model to score each area on a scale from 1 (ad-hoc/manual) to 5 (optimized/automated).

3. Identify Process Pain Points

Legacy PLM/PDM systems often suffer from:

  • Data silos - information stored in different tools with no synchronization

  • Slow engineering changes due to manual processes

  • Poor version control leads to costly manufacturing errors

  • Limited supplier access is causing delays in collaboration

  • High IT maintenance costs for outdated infrastructure

Document each pain point with impact metrics (e.g., “average ECO cycle time = 15 days, target = 5 days”).

4. Assess User Adoption & Skills

Even the most feature-rich system fails without adoption.
 Survey your engineering, design, and manufacturing teams:

  • Do they use the PLM/PDM daily, or rely on email and spreadsheets?

  • Are they trained on best practices?

  • What do they like/dislike about the current system?

This feedback helps distinguish process issues from software limitations.

5. Review Compliance & Security

In regulated industries (aerospace, medical devices, automotive), outdated PLM/PDM systems can pose compliance risks. Check:

  • Audit trails and approval logs

  • Data encryption and access controls

  • Compliance with ISO, ITAR, FDA, or industry-specific standards

6. Map Integration with Enterprise Systems

Your PLM/PDM’s effectiveness depends on its integration with:

  • ERP (e.g., Microsoft Business Central, SAP, Oracle NetSuite) for BOM and manufacturing data

  • MES for shop floor execution

  • CRM for customer and order data

  • SCM for supplier collaboration

Identify data hand-off points and where manual re-entry creates errors and delays.

7. Build a Maturity & Modernization Roadmap

Based on your findings:

  1. Score each capability area

  2. Prioritize gaps with the highest business impact

  3. Develop a phased upgrade plan — short-term process fixes, medium-term integrations, long-term system replacement, or cloud migration

  4. Estimate ROI for each improvement stage

8. Engage Stakeholders Early

A PLM/PDM modernization effort requires alignment across engineering, IT, operations, and leadership. Share your assessment results in non-technical language with clear visuals to secure buy-in.

Outcome of a Strong Assessment:

  • A clear, documented picture of current PLM/PDM maturity

  • Identified pain points tied to real business metrics

  • A practical roadmap for modernization

  • Reduced risk in technology investment decisions

For any other support-related issues, please feel free to contact PTC Certified Windchill Support Provider.


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