CAD & Simulation • Blog

A Quick Overview: A successful PLM integration depends on preparation across both engineering and IT. Whether you’re deploying a new PLM system or connecting an existing one to your ERP system, supply chain tools, or other business systems, a structured readiness checklist helps manufacturing organizations align their teams, clean up product data, and build the right foundation before integration implementation begins.

Modern product development runs on connected systems. 

• Your PLM software manages CAD data, bills of materials, and change management workflows. 
• Your ERP system handles enterprise resource planning, procurement, and production scheduling. 
• Your PDM system controls file versioning and product data management at the engineering level. 

When these systems operate in isolation, teams waste time chasing down product information, reconciling conflicting data, and working around gaps that slow down the entire product lifecycle.

That’s what makes PLM integration a priority for manufacturing firms looking to streamline operations and improve product quality. But here’s what over 500 PTC Windchill implementations have taught us at TriStar: the organizations that get the most value from integration are the ones that invest in readiness before configuration starts. 

• Engineering focuses on design process workflows and CAD data. 
• IT focuses on infrastructure, security, and enterprise system connectivity. 

When those two perspectives aren’t aligned early, projects stall, budgets stretch, and adoption suffers.

This checklist gives both teams a practical starting point.

Why a Readiness Checklist? Because Most Delays Start Before Day One

The most common pattern we see is teams jumping straight into tool configuration without assessing whether their data, processes, and people are actually prepared. The consequences compound fast: rework, poor user adoption, siloed product information, and delayed go-lives that push back new product launches.

A PLM integration touches every part of the product development process, from how engineers manage CAD data to how the sales team accesses product information to how supply chain management tracks components. That cross-functional reach is what makes integration so valuable, but it’s also why preparation matters. A direct integration between your PLM system and ERP system, for example, only works if both sides agree on master data definitions, data formatting standards (including how XML files are structured and exchanged), and workflow triggers.

The checklist below covers three areas: what engineering needs to evaluate, what IT needs to prepare, and how both teams align before go-live.

Engineering Readiness Checklist

Before your PLM integration can deliver real value, engineering teams need to assess the state of their data, workflows, and design process standards.

☐ CAD Data Audit

• Review existing CAD files for consistent naming conventions and folder structures
• Identify and flag orphaned, outdated, or duplicate parts
• Use geometry-based search tools like MAIT ModelSearch to surface duplicates and support better reuse before migration
• Clean or archive files that shouldn’t carry over into the integrated system

☐ Bills of Materials Structure

• Confirm a standardized BOM structure exists that your PLM software can manage and share with downstream systems
• Identify BOMs that are currently scattered across spreadsheets, local drives, or tribal knowledge
• Align BOM formatting with what PLM ERP integration requires so both systems can interpret the data correctly

☐ Change Management Process

• Document the current ECO/ECR workflow, including who initiates, reviews, and approves changes
• Identify where changes are currently handled informally through email or hallway conversations
• Define the approval chain and escalation paths that will be enforced once the PLM system formalizes change management

☐ Design Workflow Documentation

• Map out review, approval, and release processes for each product line or team
• Flag inconsistencies between teams or departments before they get baked into the integration framework
• Confirm that lifecycle states (draft, in-review, released, obsolete) are defined and agreed upon

☐ Parts Reuse Strategy

• Assess whether teams actively search for existing components before designing new ones
• Establish or formalize a parts reuse initiative to reduce costs and improve data consistency across the product lifecycle
• Connect reuse practices to sustainable innovation goals by reducing design waste

☐ Requirements Traceability

• Verify that engineering can trace design decisions back to customer or regulatory compliance requirements
• Confirm traceability documentation practices are in place, especially for aerospace, medical devices, and automotive, where data integrity and auditability are non-negotiable

IT Readiness Checklist

IT teams carry the responsibility of infrastructure, security, data flows, and making sure the PLM system communicates with every other information system it needs to reach.

☐ Deployment Model Decision

• Evaluate on-premises, cloud, and hybrid options based on cost, scalability, and maintenance requirements
• Consider cloud-based options like Windchill+ SaaS to reduce infrastructure burden, or on-premises for tighter control over data residency
• Align the deployment model with your organization’s regulatory compliance requirements and long-term growth plans

☐ Enterprise System Integration Map

• Document which business systems (ERP, MES, CRM, ALM, supply chain tools) need to connect to PLM
• Map current data flows between systems and identify integration points to prioritize
• Define the integration architecture before configuration starts, whether the target platform is Windchill or another solution

☐ Data Migration Strategy

• Establish clear rules for what product data gets migrated, what gets cleaned, and what gets archived
• Define how master data will be validated and reconciled during the transition
• Build a realistic timeline — data migration is consistently one of the biggest sources of project delays

☐ User Access and Permissions Plan

• Define role-based access levels before system configuration begins
• Determine who needs full authoring access to manage product data vs. lightweight, read-only access through a simplified user interface like Windchill Navigate
• Map permissions to prevent security gaps and control unnecessary licensing costs

☐ File System Integration and Data Exchange Standards

• Define file formats, XML files structures, and API protocols for data exchange between systems
• Standardize formats to prevent data management headaches downstream
• Plan for real time synchronization requirements between connected platforms

☐ Security and Regulatory Compliance Requirements

• Map the regulatory and audit requirements your PLM integration must support from day one
• Ensure infrastructure meets traceability, version control, and data integrity standards before any product data flows through it
• Account for industry-specific mandates in sectors like aerospace, defense, and medical devices

☐ Scalability Plan

• Assess whether the chosen infrastructure can support more users, more product data, and additional enterprise system integrations
• Plan for where the organization will be in three to five years, not just where it is today
• Factor in potential acquisitions, new product lines, or expanded collaboration with supply chain partners

Cross-Functional Alignment Checklist

Technical readiness is only half the equation. Engineering and IT need to align on process, terminology, and goals before go-live.

☐ Cross-Functional Readiness Team Formed

• Include representatives from engineering, IT, quality, manufacturing, and leadership
• Define decision-making authority and escalation paths early
• Assign a project owner to prevent integration projects from drifting without clear accountability

☐ Shared Vocabulary Established

• Align on terminology across departments — “revision” vs. “version,” “release” vs. “deploy,” “part” vs. “item”
• Document definitions in a shared glossary to prevent miscommunication that slows collaboration across the entire product lifecycle

☐ Success Metrics Defined

• Agree on measurable outcomes: reduction in time-to-release, improvement in data consistency, user adoption rates, decrease in duplicate parts
• Tie metrics to business outcomes like customer satisfaction and product quality improvements
• Set baseline measurements before integration so progress is trackable

☐ Pilot Scope Identified

• Select a single product line, department, or business process to validate configurations and workflows before full-scale rollout
• Use the pilot to test integration touchpoints, surface unexpected issues, and build internal confidence in the integrated system
• Best practices point to starting small and scaling based on proven results

☐ Training and Change Management Plan

• Map role-specific training needs for engineers, manufacturing, quality, and anyone else who touches product information
• Address the “what’s in it for me” question for each group — collaboration improves and business processes get faster, but people need to see it
• Plan for ongoing support, not just launch-day training, to prevent workarounds that undermine adoption

☐ Gap Analysis for Custom Tooling

• Identify where out-of-the-box PLM software falls short for your specific business processes
• Plan for extensions early: engineer-to-order automation, advanced reporting, or tools like Wincom Windchill Extensions that fill functional gaps
• Distinguish between must-have customizations for go-live and nice-to-haves that can come later

Start Your PLM Integration on Solid Ground

The difference between a PLM integration that delivers lasting value and one that stalls out almost always comes down to preparation. When engineering and IT are aligned on data, processes, infrastructure, and goals, the integration itself becomes the straightforward part.

TriStar Digital Thread Solutions has guided over 500 Windchill implementations for more than 5,000 customers, and that experience consistently reinforces one thing: readiness drives results. Our PLM Capabilities Assessment is designed to help engineering and IT teams evaluate their current state, identify gaps, and build a practical roadmap before integration begins. From strategy and consulting through implementation, migration, training, and ongoing support, TriStar helps organizations turn product lifecycle management into a competitive advantage.

Contact TriStar to discuss your integration readiness and take the first step toward a connected product development environment.

TriStar Digital Thread Solutions welcomes questions. Feel free to CONTACT US if you can’t find what you’re looking for, or call us at 800-800-1714