Scoping a PIM System: A Supporting Framework

This article presents a four-step framework for supporting the scoping phase of a product information management system (PIM) and describes the results from applying the framework in an international company. The framework is based on the literature, developed in collaboration with industrial partners and tested in a multi-division and multimarket company. The framework is intended to: (1) identify the stakeholders of the PIM; (2) collect the stakeholders' requirements; (3) give an understanding of the current working process; (4) suggest a future scenario with the implementation of the software; and (5) framing a centralized product information model. The information on the PIM system are defective in the literature and no studies were found on the scoping process of this software. This study fills that gap by developing and testing a framework to support a PIM project in the scoping phase.