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One of the great things about having a comprehensive Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) system is all the different functions it has and the processes it enables. 

Typically, some features get talked about much more often and touted above the rest. However, Logik.io's Salesforce CPQ system contains a number of unsung heroes.    

One of the less flashy but certainly no less important features is BOM management. BOM stands for Bill of Materials. BOM management is a crucial aspect of CPQ operations. The Bill of Materials is the documentation detailing all the components and assembly instructions for a given product.

There are several different types of BOMs, each with a distinct purpose. They are crafted to be best suited for the situation and the audience the BOM is targeting. For example, the engineering bill of materials, or eBOM, is used during the design phase to detail each design component and explain how to assemble it.

A product lifecycle management BOM, or PLM BOM, on the other hand, is specifically designed to keep track of the changes to the product throughout the product lifecycle. Especially when dealing with complex products, this requires a more specialized BOM than your typical sales BOM.   

Then you have the configurable BOM — a frequently used variation in CPQ systems — meant to document the specific parts and assembly instructions for configurable products to match the customer's customization choices. One type you don't hear about often is the super bill of materials, or super BOM, used in the planning process to combine similar products and detail their specifications. 

Each type is useful in its own way. Remembering the differences between them can be difficult, but there are bill of materials PDF guides you can find that specify the distinctions to help you keep track and learn the best type for each situation in your own business.

BOM management software can help accommodate, generate and process different aspects of the quoting process.

One of the most well-known features is the ability to automatically generate sales and manufacturing BOMs to eliminate the need for manual BOM creation and save time.

It doesn't exclusively give you the ability to generate BOMs though. There are other useful features that can be very helpful as well. BOM inventory management can be streamlined with software solutions utilizing BOM software and Excel, for example. That's a very simple way to expand the capability of your BOM management software.

While some may want to find an online BOM management software free, that's always going to be a far inferior option. There are BOM management software open-source options. However, they're going to be far less sophisticated and much more limited. Unfortunately, there's just no way to get a free software option like this with the same capacity due to the resources it takes to create.

Your best bet is to find a comprehensive paid option. That kind of professional software solution will likely have many more features, expanded functionality, and seamlessly connect to other business software. business software is not an area where it pays to be frugal.

A main sector of BOM management relates to product lifecycle management or BOM management in PLM.

Product lifecycle management requires tracking the changes in a product throughout every stage of development. It enables different teams to work together and provides the traceability needed to meet compliance and other requirements.  

It can be quite an in-depth and complex process that often has specific needs. BOM management in PLM provides the features necessary to track changes and keep everyone on the same page. PLM software may need to support multiple types of BOM to execute the process correctly.

Depending on the type of product in question, teams may need to create a super BOM during the planning phase to group together similar products to detail their parts and assembly instructions. Then, the engineering team may create an eBOM during the design phase to specify the parts and assembly of all the design elements.

Once the product design is complete, the manufacturer will require an mBOM to produce the item correctly. A sales BOM then would be created during the quoting process. Any changes made in the future would require updating all these different types of BOM which the BOM in PLM software can facilitate without losing speed or accuracy. 

BOM project management is a key attractor for bill of materials software.

As discussed in the last section, through the product lifecycle, many different teams may be required to work on various aspects of product development. Any phase of the product lifecycle, especially when it requires multiple teams to go through several steps, can be considered a project.

Allowing these different teams to work together seamlessly, have access to all the different types of BOM in use for the product, track and implement changes, and streamline the process is complex. BOM project management facilitates this simply and easily.

Bill of materials examples for BOM project management can be a helpful tool for better understanding how all of these elements work together and the utility of the BOM software. Helpful examples can be found in bill of materials in construction or in the case of a larger BOM database in need of an upgrade.

BOM management software for project management helps to connect all your teams and data in a single place. This allows everyone to access a single source of truth and collaborate with ease to cut down on wasted time, streamline workflows, and aid in increased team productivity.

Oftentimes, tools are only as good as the way they're used.

No matter how amazing your BOM management software is, if you're not using it efficiently, the finished product will suffer. That's why it's so important to have an effective BOM management strategy in place.

Having an effective BOM management strategy is the key to reaping the full benefits of your BOM software solution. It's crucial to create your strategy early in the product lifecycle for it to have the most successful outcome. You also need to keep all the teams in mind when coming up with it. That way, it is as useful as possible across all departments.

It's best to start by outlining a road map to follow. This will help guide the entire process all throughout the product lifecycle to simplify every step. When outlining your BOM management process, make sure to keep every phase of the process in mind. The more detailed, the better.

You'll want your BOM management strategy to cover everything from BOM preparation to BOM construction to BOM delivery and beyond. This will help keep things from slipping through the cracks because every stage is outlined already. That's the best way to ensure nothing gets missed. It's also a great way to systematize your process which will help streamline your workflows moving forward.

Every industry and business process has its own set of best practices.

They are usually developed by the most experienced experts in the field over long periods of trial and error. BOM management is no different. Adhering to BOM management best practices can make life easier for all parties involved.

Using the existing guidelines for what works best can help avoid a lot of wasted time and energy and save you a lot of hassle. BOM management best practices allow you to get the most BOM benefits possible with the fewest resources and errors.

BOM benefits and best practices can vary between sectors. Looking up configurable BOM examples and manufacturing BOM examples in your industry, for instance, can help you determine what your own bill of materials best practices should end up looking like based on existing standards for your niche. This is the best way to ensure that your BOM strategy is the most effective it can be to get the most out of it.  

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