How to Implement a PIM System: The Ultimate Guide

Prepare for PIM Implementation

Product information management, or PIM, is becoming more and more popular among sales and marketing companies as a way to enhance the customer experience with products, optimize workflows for product data management, and boost output. PIM design is a strong technology that may improve internal processes as well as increase sales and decrease product returns, but it’s crucial to use it correctly from the beginning.

To fully reap the benefits of PIM, you must prioritize not just selecting the best solution to suit your business goals, but also ensuring that it is implemented well throughout your entire organization and system orientation.

PIM Implementation Plan

There are just a handful of the opportunities made possible by a Product Information Management (PIM) system, of which many firms are already aware. But if the PIM connection is not done right, your product data gathering could stay inconsistent, erroneous, and useless. A well-organized PIM implementation procedure can help with many organizational benefits.

Every successful PIM deployment process includes data modeling, data checks, and KPI establishment. Also, there is the migration of data attributes, integration with other software, and setup. Proper implementation of PIM enables manufacturers, retailers, and brands to fully realize the potential of their product data. A PIM converts fragmented information into ready-to-go, reliable data for cohesive omnichannel experiences.

Entire organizational support and participation are crucial prerequisites for a successful PIM deployment.

The entire organization must support implementing a system intended to centralize product data for use by all. This entails reaching a consensus on the solution with important department heads. In turn, you ensure that executives recognize its benefits. In addition, it helps to create documentation for staff members detailing how it will be used and implemented.

How to Implement PIM

To make sure you know exactly how to implement product information management, include these steps in the PIM integration process:

Configuration

In the configuration process, you and the PIM vendor work together to customize the process and system to meet your unique needs. This entails laying out the data flow, the sources it will come from, and the authorized users who can access and edit it.

Migration

This is the time to gather all of the product information that is stored in your business files and systems and move it to your PIM. This includes mapping the data to the appropriate fields in the PIM, transferring the data, conducting a final quality assessment, and conducting a thorough audit of the current data.

Integration

This step synchronizes and prepares the data to be migrated and mapped. Consequently, you allow the PIM software to serve as the single source of truth for all systems. To make sure the PIM system meets the objectives of the business, extensive system testing is conducted at this point.

Measurement

Establishing KPIs to gauge the PIM’s effectiveness is another crucial step in a successful PIM integration. To determine the ongoing value that PIM is providing to your company, you will choose what metrics to compare against your goals and objectives.

Data Modeling

Every manufacturer, retailer, and brand has different requirements for the structure of a PIM data modeling phase. During this stage, PIM implementation is tailored to your unique product data and your plans to expand it as your firm grows.

PIM Implementation Methodology

A great PIM implementation methodology offers a comprehensive solution to companies of all sizes, operating iteratively with the following steps:

Planning: The client’s team and PIM experts work together during the planning stage of PIM deployment. During this phase, PIM experts schedule the tasks, create targets, and set deadlines. At the same time, they identify dependencies, data inaccuracies, and data inconsistencies that could impede the process.

Environment Setup: This process oversees email and inter-server connectivity, source control, code deployment, backups, data taxonomy, and other necessities. The ERP production environment and database code configuration changes may be easily tracked with this setup.

Requirement Gathering: This phase produces important papers like UAT test cases, integration specifications, and data model definitions.

Solution Design: In this phase of the PIM implementation, data mapping, work rules, and other project-specific modifications are included.

Solution Build: At this point, the PIM system is configured and tailored to the requirements of the client. Portable data migration samples are now essential resources for adding digital assets to the PIM system.

QA and End-to-End Testing: Performance, working, and integration testing are all included, and the resolution process is effectively managed with tracking tools in this part.

Data Conversion: Digital assets, reference data, and datasets are prepared and migrated into the PIM system.

Training: To ensure optimal usage of the PIM implementation, PIM experts provide thorough training to all users and project participants.

Hypercare: This ensures a successful PIM installation, with bug repairs, data cleanup processes, and user training.

Tutorial

Here is an example of an implementation process where the example brand is also leveraging Azure. Here, we’ve provided a step-by-step tutorial guide on how brands utilizing Azure can easily implement a PIM solution:

1.     Configuring PIM in Azure AD

To configure successful PIM implementation for the first time, you will require Global Admin privileges in Microsoft Azure. You will need a permit to utilize PIM when you first configure it for data migration. The Azure Portal will verify your tenant’s status when you go to Privileged Identity Management > Consent to PIM. After that, you can click the Consent button to start the procedure.

2.     Protecting Privileged Azure AD Roles

Click the Signup button to register for Azure AD Privileged Identity Management for Azure AD Directory Roles. Once the integration between PIM and Azure AD Directory Roles has been enabled, you can begin setting up the service for the Office 365 Admin Roles.

A different view, Group > Role view, allows all Role Groups to be inspected collectively inside Azure AD Privileged Access Management > Azure AD Roles > Members.

In addition to simply requiring users to activate their access when required, you can apply additional protection such as enforcing MFA. To configure these settings, navigate to Azure AD Privileged Access Management > Azure AD Roles > Settings. From the main window select Roles and then the role you are looking to configure settings for, i.e. Exchange Administrator. From here you can select the following:

• Activation duration: Customize the length of time the activation of administrative roles lasts. The default duration is 1 hour but can be increased up to 72 hours.
• Notifications: Enable email notifications to members of the Privileged Role Administrator and Security Administrator groups when a user activates the admin role.
• Incident/Request ticket: Require users to provide a ticket/request number aligned with their requirement for the admin role.
• Multi-Factor Authentication: Require users to provide MFA after activating the role.
• Require Approval: Specifies whether a member of the Privileged Role Administrators or Security Administrators group is required to approve the activation.

Best Practices

These three best practices for successfully implementing PIM might help you decide whether to adopt a new PIM solution or learn how to implement a PIM for the first time.

Assign the PIM Project

To ensure that all of your business requirements are effectively communicated, your organization must create a PIM team. Assigning roles to team members based on project complexity, IT, and master data competency is necessary.

You will be connected as a user with your PIM Implementation Manager. This individual is in charge of the project architect to guarantee a smooth onboarding process and ensure compliance with the data governance policy. Even if a PIM provider can aid in a seamless system rollout, your staff has the most up-to-date knowledge of your business’s procedures.

Define the Project Scope

Making a data model ought to be the first step in the onboarding procedure of implementing product information management. The product data, its characteristics, and the intended catalog structure are all included in and explicitly defined in the data model. You may see a comprehensive picture of all the data that is pertinent to your business with the help of the visual depiction of your product data.

To ensure the PIM provider fulfills your business objectives, all the details of the data model and business structure should be covered in a meeting. As an alternative, you might send in a Request for Proposal with all of the details

Test the PIM Software

When implementing the PIM system and connecting different sales channels, you can use a selection of tools in PIM. These tools analyze and improve your product data synchronization, which will make your team’s work easier. Once completed, the PIM team in your company will have access to the test environment.

Now that the job has been finished, the team may check to ensure the data is organized to support the company’s goals. Your team alone determines when the tests will take place. It’s crucial to remember that the PIM provider will most likely hold initial training sessions for your team so that everyone is fully prepared for the testing environment.

PIM Implementation Guide

You might run into issues with data inconsistencies, onboarding users who are not technical, and managing the several stakeholders engaged in the process when using PIM. You may overcome these obstacles and ensure a successful PIM installation by collaborating closely with PIM system implementation partners.

When you implement product information management plan and select the appropriate PIM implementation solution, you may greatly improve your product data management, increasing sales and improving return on investment. Consider that since every company is different, the PIM implementation procedure will vary according to your particular requirements and objectives. Take this guidance as an introduction and modify it to fit your needs and those of your business.

Bottom line

Product information management implementation is helpful for the expansion of the business in all directions, facilitates flawless process execution, helps business managers overcome conventional obstacles, and permits the successful application of cutting-edge technology and contemporary business practices. PIM Implementation Plan is a component of managing products & business with comfort and excellence. Contact us at Pimberly, to avail the best PIM system in town.