Turn Your PIM Implementation into a Success

This is How Your PIM Implementation will Turn Out as a Success Story

The implementation of Product Information Management software (in short PIM) is a crucial step towards preparing yourself for the competition of today’s digital world. Thanks to the digitization of your product data and information, your company can run the interfaces linked to shops and channels in real time and in a fully automated way. Only through this transformation will companies be able to fully exhaust the potential of digitization on a global scale and provide customers with product content in an efficient and target-group-oriented manner.

The PIM functions as your central datahub for all product data processes. Throughout, all data and information will be imported and unified from input channels such as an ERP system, will then be managed and edited within the PIM system itself, and, finally, distributed to relevant target channels ranging from online shops and apps to B2B marketplaces.

The challenge of a PIM implementation: simply installing a PIM system won’t be sufficient. Switching to an intelligent software solution requires more: it takes a PIM project with the goal to design new processes, develop new concepts, and implementing it all. The objective is that upon project completion, all systems in the company’s IT system landscape can efficiently and effectively collaborate with one another when it comes to product data. To this end, support can be requested from a wide range of service partners. They offer you to carry out the complete implementation as part of a so-called “full-service” project. However, do you really require this? Can’t your team accomplish this on its own?

Yes, your team can! Which implementation model fits best depends entirely on your individual requirements and your team’s skills. Equipped with the right concept and a good project plan, you’ll be able to quickly realize your project in a cost-efficient manner. We tell you what you absolutely need to look out for when choosing between full-service, do-it-yourself project, or a hybrid between the two.

 

PIM Implementation: Full-Service Project or Do-It-Yourself – The Defining Differences

As part of a full-service project, a third party is tasked to take care of the implementation for the company. In this case, your partner carries out the complete integration as well as the switch to the new system in your place. Such partners can be the software developer of the PIM system itself or a service partner who specializes in carrying out software implementation projects.

The advantages are clear as day: You save internal resources – which are, as is generally known, always hard to come by – and you directly collaborate with the experts for the system. With years’ worth of experience to back them up, partners know all the wrinkles of a successful PIM implementation and will make sure to make good use of this great foresight in the planning of the software environment. Naturally, the provider will demand an adequate fee for such service, which is why full-service counts as the most expensive model.

The most decisive difference, however: You let go of the steering wheel! In case of doubt, the third party which takes over may only have a surface-level understanding of your product portfolio and related processes. This is why the missing project control options of a full-service project pose various challenges and involves corresponding risks. If new processes and workflows are dictated by an outsider, it may be the case that they’ll find less acceptance and willingness to adjust accordingly by employees. If the new processes are conceptualized directly by your team, they’ll be quick to realize the added value and will look forward to the new software environment which can, thus, guarantee an improved work life. Lastly, the know-how for adjustments and modifications will fall outside of your own field of competence, hereby suffering from a one-sided dependency on your implementation partner – even after the completion of the project.

Full-Service Projects: Advantages and Disadvantages

+ Saving internal resources
+ Service partners are experts for the technological potential of systems
+ Service partners have project experience and know all best practices
– Full-service is costly
– Service partners don’t know your organizational structures
– Less project control tools
– Dependency on service partners for adjustments
– Loss of know-how after project completion

 

Do-It-Yourself Implementation Projects

When it comes to the independent PIM implementation, it’s you who is taking control. Your unique advantage: The various corporate departments can each contribute to the implementation of the PIM system with their expert knowledge. First and foremost, this concerns the Product Management with its expertise in the requirements of technical data – ranging from the company’s print catalog to e-commerce platforms and partners. The marketing, in turn, knows exactly how products are presented in the best possible light in your online shop with the help of just the right texts and digital media assets. Another central spot in the project team is occupied by your IT. With their knowledge of the current software environment, they can set the foundation for all future interfaces connected to the PIM system. Last but not least, the position for the person in response and your taskforce must also be filled to complete the team.

What may always pose as a problem in self-guided projects: When it comes to the integration of new software solutions, there’re far-reaching decisions to be made, especially in the beginning. And this is where the big disadvantage of do-it-yourself projects comes into play: Many uncertainties and mistakes can trick their way into the very foundations of the project. This eats away valuable time and resources, while also weakening team morale. What you’re lacking now is an expert for the strategy and implementation of your system with a tailor-made roadmap to boot. In short, the best solution for a successful PIM implementation borrows a bit from both methods: expert knowledge of service partners combined with the already well-established expertise of your company’s specialists.

Do-It-Yourself Projects: Advantages and Disadvantages

+ Draw from valuable in-house knowledge about the product portfolio
+ You’ll become the expert of your own system
+ Plan and live your own processes
+ Know-how stays within the company
+ High acceptance rate when switching to the new software
– No best-practice experience
– Uncertainties when it comes to decision making
– Unknown or untapped potentials of the new system

 

The Best of Both Worlds: The Hybrid Model

As part of the hybrid solution, your project team collaborates closely with the implementation team. Thanks to the active participation of your teams, you create lived processes and satisfied team members. Experience shows: The hybrid solution proves to be particularly crisis-proof since it guarantees both a high acceptance rate and continuous progress.

Throughout, a hybrid project model offers you countless benefits based on close collaboration, tailor-made solutions, a methodological approach, and continuous success. Through the combination of expert know-how and experience, the project participants come to form tight-knit teamwork that enables you to tackle specific requirements and challenges in a targeted manner. This teamwork, in turn, contributes to optimally fine-tuning the solution to match your company’s individual needs.

A well-structured phase plan makes sure that all project participants have an overview of the progress and the next steps at all times. This facilitates the planning and enables your team to stay motivated through small but continuous successes. Additionally, you can optimize knowledge transfer with targeted software training. When trainings are directly connected with the respective relevant phase of the project so that your team always receives the required knowledge at just the right time, you can master the implementation in a masterful manner.

The support provided by both implementation partners and consulting teams makes sure that demanding questions or technical challenges always find their way to the right expert. This comprehensive support makes it possible to progress effectively with the project and gain corresponding momentum. All in all, the hybrid project model leads – thanks to its flexible and adaptive structure – to a high degree of efficiency as well as sustainable results that will be reflect itself in your company’s success story even in the long term.

And the best of all: The entire know-how and all important information stay within your company. This way, you and your team will quickly advance to experts who can adjust their PIM system even after the end of the project in a flexible manner. Decide for ATAMYA as your integration partner – and we will, of course, be at your service even after the successful project completion! We from ATAMYA understand ourselves as long-term partners and accompany you on your path to digital transformation as it suits your needs, so that you can draw from the full potential of your product data.