Why fast-moving product development teams need a new playbook for PLM? Manufacturing industry is evolving and looking how to keep up with the speed. Alignment of product data management and document management with manufacturing processes, supply chain of raw materials and components, connection to other business processes, demand for product quality in manufacturing companies, new business models and services lifecycle management all bring new requirements. Supply chain management remains an issue and project managers are looking for better product lifecycle management (PLM) system and software to improve product development process to deliver faster, better, and cheaper.
As engineering and manufacturing teams scale—whether it’s a startup evolving from a prototype into production or a division of a larger company launching a new product—they inevitably outgrow their existing workflows. Get access to up to date information is becoming a critical problem. Spreadsheets and shared drives work until it doesn’t. Spreadsheets become error-prone. Shared drives get cluttered. CAD files are out of sync. And suddenly, simple decisions take days instead of minutes.
That’s usually when someone says, “We need Product Lifecycle Management vision.” But not all PLM software is built for today’s pace.
Most traditional PLM systems were designed for large enterprises with fixed hierarchies, slow release cycles, and top-down workflows. They rely on heavy IT services and assume months of onboarding. The traditional PDM vaults are segmented for each discipline and usually covers MCAD only. That doesn’t work for fast-growing teams building complex products in real-time across global supply chains.
Speaking to many of these teams I hear the demand for a different approach—simpler and agile -one that matches the agility, speed, and connectivity modern teams demand.
1. Growing Teams Need Connected, Agile Workflows
Today’s products are multi-disciplinary by nature. A drone isn’t just a mechanical frame—it includes electronics, sensors, PCBs, batteries, embedded software, enclosure design, and cloud-hosted software. And behind every component is a decision that spans sourcing, compliance, and cost. There is a cross impact between them.
Modern teams need to collaborate across those domains without data friction. They need a shared digital backbone that keeps everyone on the same page, from design to delivery. That means real-time access to product data, multi-user collaboration, and tools that allow simultaneous iteration.
When engineers, buyers, and operations teams can all see and act on the same data, decisions happen faster—and fewer things fall through the cracks.
2. The “Engineering Vault” Model is Holding Teams Back
Most legacy PLM systems treat product data as something to be locked away. Files are “checked in” and “checked out,” and collaboration is limited to the “specific vault”.
This model assumes isolated sequential work. But if two teams developing mechanical part and electronics components need to collaborate? How to sketch mechanical design in the morning, revise the CAD and collaborate with PCB design team in parallel?
Modern PLM must move beyond vaults. It should offer controlled sharing of product data without creating bottlenecks—supporting live collaboration, easy data reuse, and cross-functional traceability.
3. “Lite PLM” Isn’t the Answer
Too often, PLM vendors respond to small or mid-sized companies with a “lite” version of their heavyweight product. It’s the same architecture—just fewer features and lower limits. But what’s needed isn’t less of the wrong thing—it’s more of the right thing.
Agile teams aren’t looking for a system with stage gates. They’re looking for tools that help them get products to market faster. PLM should feel more like an operating system for your product data than a vault with check-in/out database for files. The demand for flexible data model goes beyond what “scaled down enterprise vaults” can deliver.
4. Work Is Organized Differently in Modern Teams
At many growing companies, the engineer designing the part might also be talking to the supplier, updating the BOM, and even attending field tests. Titles are fluid. The boundaries between engineering, operations, and sourcing blur.
Traditional PLM assumes rigid departments and siloed roles. But modern PLM must support connected, dynamic teams where collaboration is the default. That means enabling seamless access to information, supporting rapid changes, and offering intuitive UX that empowers users across functions. Locking data and sync each 24 hours might not be a solution.
5. Supply Chain Connectivity is a Must-Have
A delay in sourcing a $2 part can push a $100K build out by a week. That’s the reality of fast-moving hardware development.
Engineering decisions today are deeply interwoven with supply chain realities. Lead times, part availability, alternates, and pricing are all critical inputs—not afterthoughts. Waiting until a “final release” to validate the BOM with procurement is a recipe for missed deadlines and cost overruns.
Modern PLM should connect directly to procurement workflows. BOMs, vendor catalogs, lead times, and purchase planning need to be part of the engineering flow—not a separate conversation downstream.
6. Control Shouldn’t Come at the Cost of Collaboration
Governance matters—but not at the expense of speed. Locking everything down to prevent mistakes can paradoxically increase the risk of errors, because people start working around the system. Export data to Excel is a typical reaction on poorly developed PLM system.
Instead, a modern PLM should support collaborative change tracking, and role-aware workflows that help teams move fast while staying aligned. You shouldn’t need to call IT just to update a part description or share a BOM with a supplier.
Agile teams thrive when the system supports them, not when it gets in their way.
7. Start Simple. Scale Smart.
The best systems don’t try to boil the ocean from day one. Growing teams need to get value fast, then add structure over time.
Cloud-native PLM systems are ideal because they allow small teams to start with BOMs, item data, and CAD integrations—then expand into change management, procurement, and ERP connectivity, project management, system design, and other topics when ready.
A successful strategy means solving today’s problems while building a foundation that won’t collapse under tomorrow’s growth.
8. Agile Process Needs Agile Infrastructure
Agile is no longer an oxymoron. From consumer electronics to robotics to medical devices, teams are applying agile methods—iterating quickly, testing often, and learning fast.
But that speed hits a wall when your PDM requires multiple check-in/out for each CAD system, then mix of Excels and some miracle of saving “last” spreadsheet with the released information connected to Google Drive folder.
Modern PLM should enable continuous product evolution. That means fast updates, flexible approval workflows, and support for parallel development tracks—especially when software, mechanical, and electronics teams are evolving in sync.
9. Modularity and Opennes is the Future
Growing companies build their software stacks the same way they build their products—modular, flexible, and open.
PLM should follow that pattern. Enterprise PLM impose monolithic “suites,” modern platforms should let you plug in the functions you need: CAD integration, change tracking, supplier management, analytics, and more (I need to write a separate blog and “Zappier for Engineering Teams” – it is coming)
APIs matter. Openness matters. Configurability matters. The goal is to support your unique workflows, not shoehorn you into someone else’s process template.
10. Integration is Not Optional—It’s Core
No product is designed, built, and delivered in one tool. CAD, ERP, simulation, quality, CRM, e-commerce—each plays a role. The PLM system has to be the connective tissue.
Integration isn’t just a checkbox—it’s how teams avoid re-entering data, duplicating BOMs, or losing information between systems.
The best PLM platforms offer robust APIs, webhooks, and real-time data syncs. And “AI” integration topic is coming. And they respect your existing tools—meeting you where you are, not forcing you to switch everything overnight.
11. Choose PLM Partners Who Share Your Mindset
PLM isn’t just a tool—it’s a partnership. Your vendor should understand your pace, your constraints, and your ambitions.
Look for vendors with responsive support, transparent pricing, and a roadmap that aligns with your needs. Talk to other customers. Look for evidence of continuous improvement and a genuine focus on user experience.
You want a partner who understands what it means to build something new—not one who only knows how to manage what’s already done.
What is my conclusion?
New industrial revolution is coming to manufacturing sector and I think we need a new PLM paradigm for the next generation. Product development projects today are different from we have seen 20 years ago, but the old problems are still here.
Fast-moving engineering and manufacturing teams are creating products that challenge conventional thinking. But they can’t succeed with conventional tools.
The old PLM model—built for stability and control—isn’t wrong. It’s just not designed for speed, agility, or collaborative innovation.
If your team is growing fast, iterating constantly, and thinking beyond the boundaries of traditional roles, your PLM system should support that momentum.
Choose tools that move with you. That grow with you. That make collaboration and connectivity the default—not the exception.
It’s time for PLM to evolve and to bring a new PLM solution that match the needs and what market demands.
Just my thoughts…
Best, Oleg
Disclaimer: I’m the co-founder and CEO of OpenBOM, a digital-thread platform providing cloud-native collaborative services including PDM, PLM, and ERP capabilities. With extensive experience in federated CAD-PDM and PLM architecture, I’m advocates for agile, open product models and cloud technologies in manufacturing. My opinion can be unintentionally biased
