A usable engineering workflow
Follow a product through creation, revision, review, and release. Make the decisions and exceptions explicit.
What must users be able to do?PLM ImplementationFrom PLM plan
From PLM plan
to everyday use.
Configure the processes. Connect the product data. Prepare the people. Build a phased Windchill rollout around the work your team needs to do.
- Process
- Product data
- Systems
- People
Built around the first releaseStart with the work.
Start with the work.
Define what good looks like.
Choose the tasks a first release needs to support. Agree how your team will evaluate them before expanding the rollout.
Product data with context
Use a representative sample to check structures, revisions, ownership, and information quality.
Which records need to stay connected?People ready to use it
Identify user roles, access, learning needs, and process ownership while shaping the solution.
Who will use, review, and support it?The decisions behind deliveryA delivery path.
A delivery path.
A decision at every gate.
From the first release scope to daily use, keep the records, responsibilities, and next decision connected. Agree scope, acceptance criteria and deliverables with your team.
Gate 1 / Scope the rollout
What belongs in the first release?
Follow one representative product through the work it needs to support. Agree the users, boundaries, and acceptance criteria before expanding the configuration.
People to involve
A sponsor, process owner, engineering users, and the PLM or IT lead.
Evidence to review
- Representative assembly or BOM
Gives the first phase a concrete product context.
- A release scenario
Connects user tasks to the decisions and handoffs involved.
- Scope and acceptance criteria
Makes priorities, exclusions, and review responsibilities explicit.
What this enables next
An agreed first-phase scope with responsibilities and a way to evaluate the result.
Gate 2 / Build the foundation
Does the foundation preserve the intended rules?
Check configuration and sample information together. Involve process and data owners so structure, access, and revision decisions are understood before applying them more widely.
People to involve
Data and process owners, a PLM administrator, and owners of connected systems.
Evidence to review
- A sample product structure
Tests how parts, files, and revisions relate in the environment.
- Configuration and access decisions
Connects user roles to the intended workflow and responsibilities.
- Data mapping and exceptions
Makes transformation rules and unresolved information visible where migration is in scope.
What this enables next
Reviewed sample data and configuration, with unresolved findings assigned to owners.
Gate 3 / Validate the workflow
Can people carry the work through?
Let representative users create, revise, review, and release information. Check the handoffs within the agreed scope, and use the findings to refine the workflow and role-based guidance.
People to involve
Everyday users, reviewers, the process owner, and relevant integration owners.
Evidence to review
- An end-to-end working scenario
Evaluates everyday tasks, not just isolated configuration settings.
- User findings and acceptance evidence
Shows what worked, what needs attention, and who reviews it.
- Interface and exception checks
Tests agreed system boundaries and how the team handles unexpected information.
What this enables next
Agreed acceptance evidence and a decision on unresolved findings before release.
Gate 4 / Launch & support
Who owns the move into daily use?
Coordinate the release with the people who will run and support it. Prepare role-based guidance and a handover that makes questions, issues, and next-phase work easier to route.
People to involve
A sponsor, administrators, team leads, and the agreed support owners.
Evidence to review
- Release and cutover responsibilities
Clarifies the sequence, decision owners, and arrangements for the transition.
- Role-based guidance and practice
Helps people perform the tasks they evaluated during the rollout.
- Support and handover arrangements
Names the operational owners and how questions or findings are handled.
What this enables next
An agreed release decision, operational ownership, and priorities for the next phase.
Make the handoffs explicitConnected systems.
Connected systems.
Clear responsibilities.
Define the information, trigger, and owner at each boundary. Migration and interface requirements are scoped with the rollout.
CADtoWindchill
Information moving
Files, part structures, and revisions
Decision to agree
Agree ownership, naming, revision rules, and representative sample checks.
WindchilltoERP
Information moving
Released product and manufacturing information
Decision to agree
Agree the interface scope, release trigger, mapping, and who handles exceptions.
PLMtoEveryday users
Information moving
Role-specific tasks and guidance
Decision to agree
Agree access, representative tasks, learning needs, and support ownership.
Beyond go-liveA release is a milestone.
A release is a milestone.
Keep ownership clear.
Plan the handover alongside the build. Everyday questions, unresolved findings, and new requirements need named people and a clear next step.
Still shaping your scope? Explore PLM ConsultingPractice with real tasks
Involve users before release, then connect guidance to the work they need to perform.
Define the support handover
Agree the operational owners, the route for questions, and the boundaries of support.
Keep the next phase in view
Review findings and prioritize improvements against the original goals and new needs.
Before the build beginsUseful questions.
Useful questions.
Clearer next steps.
Can we begin with one workflow or site?
A focused first phase can help your team evaluate a representative workflow before extending the rollout. Agree the product scope, users, connected systems, and acceptance criteria together so the first release remains useful and manageable.
What determines implementation timing?
Timing depends on the agreed scope, data condition, configuration, interfaces, user availability, and release requirements. Discuss those dependencies before setting a schedule, with review points that reflect the work in scope.
How are migration and interfaces scoped?
Start with the information that needs to move, the systems involved, and who owns the records on each side. Review sample data, mappings, exceptions, and release triggers. Agree migration and integration activities as part of the engagement scope.
What happens after go-live?
Plan operational ownership, role-based guidance, and support arrangements before release. Findings and new requirements can then feed the next phase. The scope of continued support and optimization is agreed with your team.
Start with the first releaseYour next phase.
Your next phase.
A practical rollout.
Bring one workflow, the users it affects, and the information it depends on.
Let’s define the work behind a useful first release.