Forcing people to enter data

The problems deploying Obamacare which is all over the news, started me thinking about PLM systems and  deployments. In an article by Michelle Melkin on Electronic Medical Records, she points out that there is building resistance in forcing medical practitioners to enter data. They see the first two to five minutes that are required to enter data into electronic health records systems as a waste of time for themselves and their patients. How many people in engineering have the same view of PLM?

Forcing people to enter data when they see no value in what they are doing results in a failed technology implementation. If people do not get anything in return for entering data, they will find ways to avoid they system.

PLM systems have to deliver value to the people who have to use the system. Borrowing from software development Agile practices, people need to "opt-in "http://newtechusa.net/agile/the-agile-adoption-game/. They have to want to use the PLM system because they get value from using the system. The system must make their life easier, solve a problem, remove a barrier. Just as with electronic medical records,  requiring people to enter data because management wants the data, will not work very well.

One reason people will opt-in to a PLM system is that it enables them to find things that they need. When people can find things they need, it saves them time. They see value in entering the data needed to find things. If you are implementing a PLM system, upgrading or just trying to improve adoption, concentrate on making search great.