PLM white paper: successful PLM implementation and user adoption
A free 15-page guide, 2026 edition, to help designers, manufacturing engineering, purchasing and quality truly use the same PLM, from the design office to industrialization: method, PLM training by function, use cases and customer stories.
- The four barriers to anticipate when scoping a PLM project
- Five PLM use cases, from revising a part to multi-site harmonization
- Workflow usage indicators and a roadmap before, during and after go-live
Download the PLM white paper
Fill in the form and we will send you the white paper by email.
In short: the white paper “Driving adoption of your PLM” (Knowmore, written with Max Fouache, PLM expert consultant, 2026 edition) is a free 15-page guide. It explains why the success of PLM software depends on every function using the workflows, well beyond the design office, and sets out a five-stage adoption method (map, prepare, guide, measure, sustain), five use cases (create and revise a part, update a BOM, approve a change, multi-site harmonization, new hires), three customer stories (Safran Seats, Safran Electronique & Défense, Cristal Optimisations), seven adoption indicators and a roadmap before, during and after go-live.
PLM project: an installed PLM is not a shared PLM
PLM software structures the entire life of the product: parts, revisions, BOMs, change requests, configuration management. Training often targets CAD experts, yet every function ends up using it. Its success depends on how each person applies the workflows, from design to industrialization.
Rare tasks, the first risk in a PLM project
Manufacturing engineering, purchasing and quality only open the PLM occasionally. A BOM changed outside the workflow or a revision that is not incremented is enough to break the digital thread. Help has to be available at the moment of the task.
PLM white paper contents: 8 chapters for a successful PLM project
- Why an installed PLM is not a shared PLM
- The four barriers to anticipate“The design office’s tool”, data and harmonization, training designed for experts, adoption over time.
- The method: map, prepare, guide, measure, sustain
- Five PLM use cases, from design to industrializationCreate and revise a part, update a BOM, approve a change, multi-site harmonization, new hires.
- Customer storiesSafran Seats (Windchill), Safran Electronique & Défense (3DEXPERIENCE), Cristal Optimisations (retail PLM).
- Managing adoption: the indicators that matter
- Your roadmap before, during and after go-live
- Knowmore and the expert at a glance
PLM training and change management: the five-stage method
It starts with mapping tasks by function and frequency; the white paper then shows how to combine simulation, guidance inside the PLM and measurement of actual workflow usage.
Prepare: PLM training through simulation
Before go-liveEach function rehearses its own tasks on a faithful replica of the PLM, with its own screens and access rights, without touching production data.
K-STUDIO → STEP 02Guide: help inside the PLM at the moment of the task
Go-liveAn application GPS guides each user step by step, with coding and revision rules shown next to each field.
K-NOW → STEP 03Measure: actual PLM workflow usage
From the first weeksChanges processed through the PLM, abandoned steps, approval times, comparison between sites and functions.
K-VALUE → STEP 04Sustain: adoption that lasts after go-live
Over timeInternal authors adapt help content to new versions, new hires and functions joining the PLM.
Change management →Customer stories: PLM projects supported by Knowmore
Safran Seats accelerates the adoption of its Windchill PLM
Read the customer story → Safran E&D · 3DEXPERIENCE3,000people in design officesSafran Electronique & Défense supports its design offices on 3DEXPERIENCE
Read the customer story → Cristal Optimisations · Retail PLM3stages covered: design, tenders, suppliersCristal Optimisations simplifies its clients’ PLM tools
Read the customer story → Windchill · 3DEXPERIENCE · Teamcenter · Centric PLM4+PLM solutions already supportedPLM implementation: every function trained, whatever the vendor
See the use case →“K-NOW provides an innovative, elegant and effective means that strengthens the value of our training and our learning-by-doing approach.”
Learning & Certification Management, DELMIAA PLM white paper written with an expert PLM consultant
“Choosing and configuring the right PLM software is not enough: the value of the project depends on how each function brings product data to life, from the first revision through to industrialization.”
The common thread of this white paperMax Fouache, independent PLM expert consultant
With 25 years’ experience in Product Lifecycle Management, Max Fouache has built expertise spanning IT, defense and aerospace in particular.
Frequently asked questions about PLM software implementation
Who is this PLM white paper for?
R&D, engineering and industrial management, PLM managers, manufacturing engineering, quality and purchasing teams, IT departments, change and training teams, and integrators who deploy or upgrade PLM software.
Why does user adoption matter in a PLM project?
Because a PLM is only as good as its product data. If a function changes a BOM outside the workflow or approves a change by email, the digital thread breaks and downstream teams work with incomplete information.
How do you train users on PLM software?
By preparing functions rather than software experts: each profile rehearses its own tasks on a replica of the PLM with K-STUDIO, then K-NOW guides it directly inside the application for rare tasks, such as a change request or an approval.
How do you measure PLM adoption?
By actual workflow usage more than by the number of active licenses: share of changes processed through the PLM, approval times, abandoned steps, workarounds via email or parallel files. The white paper details seven indicators to track by site and by function.
Does the method work with every PLM system?
Yes. It does not depend on the vendor: Knowmore supports Windchill, 3DEXPERIENCE, Teamcenter and Centric PLM, as well as in-house product applications, among others.
Is the PLM white paper free?
Yes. Fill in the form and the PDF white paper will be sent to you by email.
Download the white paper and drive adoption of your PLM
Method, use cases, indicators and roadmap: everything you need for your PLM to be truly shared by all your functions.