A Method to Identify Risks Associated with a PLM Solution

Not all investments in PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) are successful. Measuring the business effects of a PLM is essential, but can only be applied subsequent to solution deployment. It could be more powerful to make an early evaluation of the PLM solution, resulting in the business benefits, making corrections possible prior to deployment. In this paper, a method to identify risks associated with a PLM solution is proposed based on an architecture model of a PLM solution and available PLM solution guidelines. Its use is demonstrated in an industry case and evaluated as compared to its intended use. The intention is that identified risks can help identify change proposals to the PLM solution or to obtain a better understanding of the consequences for solution deployment. The findings indicate that the method is a useful support for identifying risks associated with a PLM solution. However, additional testing of the method in real settings is necessary to strengthen that indication.