Collaborative PLM Software for Product Teams | Why It Matters

Last week at The Collective X Vivid Ideas, it was exciting to learn from Matt Symons that peer-to-peer lending and getting a credit score without trashing your own rating is now available to all of us. He related experiences in challenging the standard way of doing things and shared that some of the results were unexpected.

What Does “Disruption” Really Mean in Practice?

Consensus was that putting the customer at the centre of all experiences and interactions was a key feature of what is known as disruption.

To me, it seems that we are looking at an industry, or something that is dissatisfying (or not working) through new frames, and asking the question, what else should be provided that is missing?

In the context of peer-to-peer lending, the human experience of a 1:1 relationship (and seeing where your money goes) brings us full circle back to the old school way of doing business on a handshake and a reputation or your standing in a community.

Just like fashion, everything old is new again, but with a twist.

Now, it's building trust and the handshake kind of idea online; the power dynamic has shifted.

As we move towards flatter organisational structures and faster, fragmented mobile working practices, systems that are available anywhere and anytime but that support creative collaboration will be essential.

Why Collaborative Systems Matter in Modern Product Teams

Technology has given greater access to creativity for more people over a wider range of media than ever before.

As we pin and post and photograph our way through life and capture inspiring moments and beauty, we can take advantage of technology to organise, filter and categorise all this information and get the creative juices flowing.

And then use this to leap into the next bit in the process.

In businesses, designers work to a brief. It’s part of the challenge of the design process.

The brief needs to combine the exciting new ideas of the season, but within a budget.

This is where an assortment planning tool that works between design and planning is incredibly helpful.

Being able to manage and plan how many designs are required and keep the bridge between design and assortment planning, a live update allows both planners and designers to best use their time and effort.

As an alternative to ERP replacement, PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) can work a little bit like that foam that fills all the gaps in the insulation of your home.

Like the foam, PLM can expand to support existing ERP and Ecommerce systems and fill the process gaps in design, workflow and product management.

Of course, it can also be used as a system and workflow tool on its own.

Why PLM Is a Faster, More Configurable Way to Work

Designers can use it to capture inspiration via mobile wherever it strikes, and get the process of design and collaborative development moving on the road.

PLM creates one place for technical specifications that can be shared with the supplier (and in some cases the customer), and can enforce good business practices the whole way through the value chain.

It works as a content and image management database, and can make searching for and replacing an image on multiple products a much simpler process.

The Visual 2000 PLM is configurable by a business analyst or advanced business user and comes with a preconfigured tech pack out of the box that can be changed and adapted as the business grows and changes.

The commitment to continuous improvement is not just for the business users but also for the developers of PLM; they are always striving to improve their product.

Garment specifications, fitting approval, colour and lab dip approval, care instructions and quality control are all easily accessible via a browser and available globally via the internet.

Just like the app that allows you to see where your donation or investment is going, sample quotes and approvals are all transparently available inside PLM.

This creates easier business processes; everyone in the business can see where products are up to.

To be able to better collaborate, we will need systems like PLM to come with us wherever we are.

Retail improvement, made practical.
Leadership thinking that drives change.

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