Keeping PLM Deployments Fresh,

Exciting and Engaging

Post Implementation

nicole.jones@lanebryant.com

October 2016

@PITVtweets #PIApparel

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Agenda

Topic Page

1 Introduction 3

2 Be Prepared for a Support Journey 4

3 Keep Users Engaged 6

4 Set Expectations and Be Honest 8

5 Communicate 9

6 Closing Thoughts 11

7 Q & A 12

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Who is Lane Bryant?

#PlusIsEqual #ImNoAngel #ThisBody

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• I am… Nicole Jones, Director of Product Development Technology at Lane

Bryant, a subsidiary of ascena Retail Group Inc.

#PlusIsEqual

#ImNoAngel

#ThisBody

• I have been involved in 5 PDM / PLM Implementations over the last 20 years

• The implementations covered

• Gerber Classic & WebDPM – Apparel & Intimates

• PTC FlexPLM – Apparel, Intimates & Accessories

• Infor Optiva – Personal Care Products

• The number of users for the PLM implementations were approximately 450 at ascena

Retail Group (formerly Charming Shoppes) & 1500 at Lbrands (formerly Limited Brands)

Introduction

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• Build a Support Team - Be prepared to invest in more than just software. Building a team to

support the PLM solution can be one of the most important parts of user and enterprise adoption

• Systems Administrator

• First line of support for troubleshooting errors or issues with the software

• General system maintenance

• Functional Resource (business analyst)

• Make sure this person has knowledge of your business category/segment

• General Responsibilities

• General liaison between technology & the business users

• First line of support for troubleshooting errors or issues with the software

• Training

• Help address process issues with the use of the new tool

• Define business requirements for any internally developed customizations

• Work with the software vendor to drive future enhancements to the out of the box solution

• Technical Resource

• General Responsibilities

• Work with the software vendor to get bugs addressed

• Help manage the hardware the software resides on

• Execute customizations that are developed internally

• Work with the software vendor to drive future enhancements to the out of the box solution

Be Prepared for a Support Journey

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• Have a Plan for Enhancements & Upgrades - Be prepared to invest in enhancements, upgrading

the software and upgrading your hardware

• Enhancements

• Identify a release cadence and be disciplined about delivery and execution

• Get to know the software, it’s out of the box capabilities, it’s limitations & what your organization is willing to do to

customize the system

• Customization is NOT a bad word… if they are done right

• Always keep in mind when doing a customization how invasive it is to the core out of the box software

• Thoroughly document ALL customizations

• Upgrade

• Keep an eye on all the software, operating system, network & hardware dependencies

• It is not just the software that needs to perform, it’s the combination of the whole

• Plan to upgrade the software within 2 years of going live

Be Prepared for a Support Journey

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• With the Implementation of a PLM solution, EVERYONE involved in the process of getting product

to market ends up being effected

• Often associates will feel like the implementation made them have more work than they did

before… and of course the perception will be that no other team will have been more effected

than “me”

• Every user will take the implementation personally… the change involved with an

implementation will directly impact their ability to perform the job they were hired to do

• It’s personal for the project and support team as well the users

• Accepting and addressing the personal impact is your first step in getting & keeping users

engaged

Keep Users Engaged – It’s Personal

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• PLM solutions are enterprise solutions, not just a stand alone app

• All our product data starts in the PLM solution, and in most cases the data gets integrated to downstream systems like

Core Merchandising, Reporting and Planning tools, so it is critical the business has a clear understanding of the larger

impact the PLM solution has on the business

• Ideas for making it compelling to the users…

• Make Training Epic

• NEVER underestimate the power of well done training

• Pick a theme and stick with it

• Don’t be afraid of ‘silly’ to get people engaged

• In the beginning do 2 levels of Process Overviews

• Start with a bigger end to end overview that the entire business participates in to demonstrate to full impact to the business

• Ask leaders of each functional group to speak to their area or responsibility

• Follow up with smaller activity or role based specific overviews

• ALWAYS refer back to the end to end and where the specific activities impact downstream processes

• Tie the success of the tool to associates performance reviews

• Communicate with the users as often as possible

Keep Users Engaged – Make it Compelling

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• The users and leadership will often expect the new PLM solution to solve all of their business woes, but the

reality is a system implementation will often highlight broken processes that the business did not even know

were broken

• Make sure leadership, management and users have a good idea of the time commitment involved in learning

and becoming proficient at using the system

• Depending on the role and responsibility definition, users could need as many as 20-30 hours of hands on training

• On top of classroom time, there will also be a learning curve. It can often take 2-3 seasons of use before the users feel

proficient at using the system

• When asked a question, if you don’t know the answer, say so… but DO promise to follow up with an answer…

and follow up

• Again, I stress…get to know the system, it’s out of the box capabilities, it’s limitations & what your organization is willing to

do to customize the system

• Enhancement Releases

• Set a schedule, involve the users, meet regularly & send communication about progress

Set Expectations and Be Honest

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• The hardest part of change or something new to most people is the unknown that comes along

with it, so keep them informed at ALL times

• The more info you provide to the users, the harder it will be for them to create their own dooms day

scenarios

• But also remember, there is no possible way to predict every outcome to the change a PLM

implementation will bring to the business

• Create formal vehicles for regular communication to the users

• For the Users

• Weekly or monthly newsletters provide a great way to remind people of what’s going on with the PLM tool

• Intranet Blogs

• User advisory boards

• For Leadership

• Quarterly if not monthly touchbases

Communicate

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• For the first season (and possibly the second and third and forth and…), send reminders to users

about system activity deadlines

• Identify key activities like Creating BOMs or Initiating Cost Sheets or Product Adoption and send email

reminders to the responsible user groups that those activities need to happen

• If there are any system issues (errors, bugs or the system goes down) notify the user community

immediately

• Give the users a quick summary of the issue and an estimated resolution time if possible

• Once the issue is resolved follow up with an email to all users with a complete summary of the

resolution

• Stay engaged with your software vendor

• Participate in customer advisory board meetings if your software vendor has them

• If the software vendor does not have a customer advisory board, ask for one

• Actively submit product ideas to your software vendor

Communicate (cont.)

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• There will be bumps… and that’s OK

• Be proactive & have a plan

• Again, just make sure to communicate, set expectations & be honest

• Be prepared to shift gears and have a “can do” attitude

• Change is inevitable in retail; embrace it and look at it as job security

• Always approach PLM as an investment in the future for your business

• You will want to nurture it so that it can become an enabler for smarter, faster decision

making & communication for your business

Closing Thoughts

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Q & A

#PlusIsEqual #ImNoAngel #ThisBody