5 Signs Your PLM Needs a Makeover

When it comes to product development, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) has long been seen as the backbone. PLM is a strategic methodology that oversees every phase of a product’s lifecycle—from inception and design to manufacturing, service, and eventually disposal. This approach unifies people, data, processes, and business systems, creating a robust infrastructure that enables companies to optimize their workflows efficiently. 

And in today’s world, you can’t manage products without managing what they’re made of. The formulas, ingredients, packaging, and BOMs that define your products are the foundation of innovation, compliance, and sustainability. Yet traditional PLMs treat these as static documents, not structured, actionable data.

That’s why many companies are modernizing their approach with Spec-First PLM — a data-driven foundation that manages specifications as connected, digital building blocks across the entire lifecycle.

If your current PLM feels slow, disconnected, or hard to trust, it might be time for a makeover. Here are five signs it’s time to modernize.

1. Your PLM is Process-First, Not Data-First  

When we think about traditional PLM systems, the reality is that they were built to manage workflows – not the underlying data that powers them. As a result, the details about your products are likely out of date and siloed across multiple teams and spreadsheets. 

With a Spec-first approach to PLM, teams address this core issue by aligning on their core data and specifications to define every product. This ensures accuracy, visibility, and flexibility across teams and processes. 

2. Supplier Collaboration Still Happens Over Email  

Approvals, data sharing, and spec updates done via email mean your PLM system is not doing its job. The reality is that legacy PLM systems aren’t built to handle complex supplier data at the granular level – as a result, teams are left juggling outdated files and misaligned versions. 

Using Specright, teams can securely access and edit all the data they need, all in one cloud-based system – reducing time spent chasing data while freeing up time for innovation. By empowering suppliers with the data and collaboration tools they need, teams will see faster approvals, fewer errors, and overall increased collaboration – a win for all stakeholders involved. 

3. Regulatory or Sustainability Reporting Feels Like a Fire Drill  

With growing regulatory requirements around sustainability, like Extended Producer Responsibility, data gaps make reporting and compliance much more complex. The reality is that most teams that store data in traditional PLMs are likely scrambling to piece together data from different systems – because these systems weren’t built for the depth or granularity of today’s compliance demands.

With Specright, teams can capture information at the spec level, making sustainability and regulatory reporting much more feasible, accurate, and proactive – instead of reactive. With connected data, you can see cost impacts, compliance risks, and even EPR fees before they hit your bottom line.

4. Your PLM Doesn’t Reflect How Products Are Made Today

Modern products are more complex than ever — with evolving recipes, co-manufacturing relationships, global supplier networks, and fast-changing regulations. Traditional PLMs weren’t built for that level of variability.

Specright’s Spec-First PLM is built for modern supply chains: distributed, dynamic, and data-intensive. By anchoring everything in structured specification data, teams can adapt quickly to change without breaking workflows — supporting innovation instead of stifling it.

5. Reporting Takes Too Long — and You Don’t Trust the Results

When it comes to reporting, it shouldn’t cause a headache. Data should be up to date and accessible, so when it comes to compliance, it can be done easily across teams. But for most teams, data is scattered across systems, making it hard to trust the numbers. 

Because Specright’s PLM is built on Specification Data Management, reports are generated from a single, accurate source of truth. Teams can analyze performance, compliance, and cost data in real time — and make faster, more confident decisions across the lifecycle.

A Better Foundation for PLM

Legacy PLMs were built for managing processes. Specright’s Spec-First PLM is built for managing data — the data that defines your products, connects your teams, and powers your innovation.

Whether you’re struggling with disconnected systems, manual reporting, or supplier collaboration, modernizing your PLM doesn’t just make your processes better — it makes your data smarter.

Ready to see how a Spec-First PLM can transform your product lifecycle? Request a Demo today.