WHY PIM

IMPLEMENTATIONS

FAILAnd What You Can Do About It

Businesses are always seeking new

ways to master complexity in their

environments given the nature of

continuously evolving content value

chains, business models, channel

evolution, new device technology, and

go-to-market strategies brought on by

the demands of the technologically

savvy consumer.

There is an ever-growing volume of data

about products, materials, suppliers,

assets, and parts. Managing that

extensive product content in an efficient

and collaborative way is crucial.

Traditionally, companies have turned to

Product Information Management, or

PIM, solutions to provide the tools

necessary to acquire information from

multiple sources, manage the

information in a central repository

powered by automated workflow, and

syndicate the information to multiple

applications, media, and participants. 

"More than 40 percent of

organizations said it can

help eliminate data errors,

improve cross-sell and up-

sell opportunities and

improve the customer

experience through

consistent product

information." - Ventana

Research, ValueIndex on

Product Information

Management

The project lacks proper planning and executive support.  Failure to implement proper change mangement.  The users don’t find value in abandoning their previous methods.  The software vendor promised particular functionality that doesn’t exist.    Failure to create and enforce data governance procedures.

However, the simple truth is that PIM

implementations fail all of the time.  

Here are a few reasons:   Five Reasons

PIM

Projects

Fail

Any successful project begins with a well thought out plan and executive support. A PIM implementation is no exception.

Technical and business stakeholders should be identified and aligned into a stakeholder team to ensure that the implementation delivers an efficient repository of product data that includes the correct data models, taxonomies, integrations, and doesn't create yet another silo of product data. 

A clear roadmap that includes phases of planning, implementation, and, crucially, testing and validation should be understood and agreed upon by all stakeholders.

Strategy

&

Alignment

In most cases, implementing a PIM solution requires changing quite a few processes, some of which may have originally been done by hand or by a technology, like Excel, that doesn't scale to the size of the job at hand. 

The process should mean greater efficiencies and collaboration, but only if the organization manages the changes necessary to applicable business processes and workflows. 

Business users should be part of the change management process, as buy-in from the teams who will use the technology is crucial.

Change

Management

Any new software technology or business process will only be as successful as the weakest link in the chain. If teams charged with using the software continue to use their previous processes or solutions to complete their work, the value of the technology will not be realized.

There are a few reasons why a team or a user may reject a new process or solution. They may not understand the value of the system, may not have access to the processes they need, or they may not have been trained on the new system. Thus, the users should be part of the planning processes and be thoroughly trained after implementation.

User

Buy-In

Too often, PIM technologies become "shelfware" due to the lack of features critical to the business processes and workflows required. This might be caused by incomplete software evaluation procedures, misunderstandings between the technology vendor and buyer, or a willingness on the part of the buyer to purchase with the promise that required functionality will be developed in the future.

Independent software consultants can help a company understand the ramifications of missing functionality and help guide them to choose the right technology or develop a roadmap that will include addressing processes to mitigate the problem. 

Technology

Limitations

Gartner predicts that as many as 90% of companies will fail at their first attempt to implement a Master Data Management solution, including PIM. Many of these failures can point directly to issues unrelated to technologies. Most PIM platforms allow for a company to customize data governance dimensions, create specific workflows, and run reports on KPIs affecting data quality.

However, each company should implement a full data governance framework that includes aligning stakeholders, developing policies, processes, and standards, creating policies for monitoring and measuring processes, and codifies a communications plan that includes a process for escalation.

Data

Governance

Implementing a PIM solution across your enterprise can be a costly proposition if you don’t choose the right partner for your journey.  

At Amplifi, we understand that because we have helped some of the top brands:

The

DifferenceDefine a strategy and roadmap for PIMDevelop data governance policiesChoose the right technology partnerDeliver "Business Agility"

If your company is considering a PIM  implementation - or your current project is stalling -  contact us to find out how we are different.