Product Data Management (PDM) initiatives to
automate what are largely engineering administration tasks i.e.,
looking up a part, capturing the part data, creating an association
in structure, associating documents to parts, accessing/distributing
documents, passing part data from CAD to ERP, passing BoM data
to ERP, administering change, etc. - administrative functions
Often,
clients make significant extensions and customizations to PDM
applications to assure appropriate fit for purpose. Extensions
are typically easy to justify as they have little impact on your
ability to upgrade to subsequent releases of your chosen application
i.e., modify JSP pages, JPO’s, implement new forms and
workflows, etc.
Customizations should of course only be made
when their total cost of ownership can be justified. Additionally,
the customization
of any PDM application should enable some Best Practice or
Strategic
Competitive advantage.
