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Most questions asked about EDM/PDM are easy to answer if you have a well-defined EDM/PDM strategy, but very difficult if you haven't. The answers to questions are obviously very dependent on the specifics of each individual company, but in general depend on five factors: the industry the company is in, the company's organizational structure, the company's culture, the company's resources and the EDM/PDM approach so far. The industry sector is an important characteristic. For example, EDM/PDM requirements will differ between an automotive company making a high-volume, standard product, and an aerospace company making a make-to-order product that will differ from one order to the next. The organizational structure of the company is also an important characteristic. For example, EDM/PDM will play different roles in companies that are organized by project, and companies that have a strong departmental focus to their organizational structure. The culture of the company is another important characteristic. In some companies, top management takes all decisions, and bottom-up initiatives are discouraged. In a company where things are always done top-down, there is little point in trying to introduce EDM/PDM bottom-up. Similarly, in a company where management actively tries to get decisions taken by people lower down the hierarchy, it would not be useful to try to get management to impose a particular EDM/PDM system on the company. The resources the company has available and in place are another important characteristic. There are EDM/PDM solutions that offer very high performance if they are tailored to meet a particular company's requirements. They are probably not suitable for companies that do not have the people available to tailor the system, and in the past have never tailored systems to meet specific requirements. The EDM/PDM approach taken to date will probably have major implications for the EDM/PDM approach in the future. Leopards don't change their spots overnight, and EDM/PDM project managers don't change their behavior overnight. If, for example, an EDM/PDM project has been driven by the IS department, with very little interest shown by the engineering department, it can only be expected that this will continue. Unless a catastrophe occurs, major changes are unlikely. If a catastrophe does occur, it is often followed by a long period of inaction. The following pages contain answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. EDM/PDM functionality Involvement in the EDM/PDM project Cost-justification of EDM/PDM Concurrent Engineering and EDM/PDM Re-engineering and EDM/PDM Introduction of EDM/PDM EDM/PDM system - buy or make? Outsourcing EDM/PDM |