Everything starts with a product record
In PLM, a style is first born as a product record; the tech pack, BOM, samples and costing are then linked to this record. Thinking in terms of one record instead of a file folder is the first habit of using PLM.
In this part
- You explain why the product record is the "single source of truth."
- You see what the style code, season, category and variant fields are for.
- You tell how color and size options are separated as variants and SKUs.
- You notice where the question "which file is the latest?" comes from in work run on Excel and e-mail.

Terms in this part
- PLM
- Product lifecycle management: the system that keeps a product's development information, from its calendar, design, tech pack and bill of materials to its samples and costing, in a single record.
- Variant
- Each sellable option of the same style, distinguished by attributes such as color and size.
- SKU (stock keeping unit)
- The code that uniquely identifies each product option held in stock.
- Season (SS/AW)
- Grouping collections by selling period: Spring/Summer (SS) and Autumn/Winter (AW).
There are 3 questions at the end of the part; at least 2 correct answers open the next part. The questions open with your Academy account, after your Basic certificate.