This article is part of the How Do YOU CM2? blog series in collaboration with the Institute for Process Excellence (IpX). Although I receive compensation for writing this series, I stand behind its content. I will continue to create and publish high-quality articles that I can fully endorse. Enjoy this new series, and please share your thoughts!
Your Product Launch Just Got Delayed. Again. 🎯
Engineering needs three more weeks. The CFO is recalculating revenue. You’re wondering how this keeps happening.
45% of product launches are delayed by at least a month, and 90% of companies delay product launches, especially due to late-stage design changes. That’s not supply chain but a data problem. 📊
And it’s expensive? A 12-month delay costs industrial OEMS up to $200M. 20% of delayed products do not meet their internal targets. Your teams aren’t failing; they’re working with bad data. Why? Because of process and data disconnects, data lineage is broken, with no or limited traceability. While engineering fights fires, competitors turn Configuration Management into a strategic weapon. Most CM initiatives fail at the C-suite because we use the wrong language.
Stop saying: “We need better BOM management.”
Start saying: “We’re preventing $12.9M waste annually due to poor data quality and protecting our time-to-market.”
Teams spend 20 to 30% of their time finding the right information. That’s not engineering, it’s a revenue problem.
Imagine This Instead 💡
Your COO announces: “We’re launching three weeks early, 8% under budget.” Not from overtime, but from everyone working from a single source of truth.
CM2 creates “Product Confidence”, the ability to scale globally, pivot quickly, and know cost-to-complete with precision. When product data matches reality, launches become predictable.
Translate CM into Executive Language 🎤
Reframe using three triggers:
1. Risk Mitigation → “CM2 ensures design, manufacturing, and supply chain use validated configurations.”
2. Margin Protection → “Data errors cause million-dollar procurement blunders. We’re implementing safeguards.”
3. Time-to-Revenue → “Every delay costs market share. When data is managed from cradle to grave, you enable shorter launch cycles.”
Stop positioning CM as housekeeping. Position it as growth infrastructure, like ERP did for finance. Your C-suite needs predictable revenue. CM2 delivers that if we tell the right story. 🚀
Your Turn 💬
Does your leadership see CM as a cost center or strategic enabler? Share your experiences in the comments.