Abstract

The growing importance of product data management and master data necessitate companies to have practices for deriving product master data from their corporate strategy. Business drivers need to be understood from the perspective of corporate strategy to capture product master data in relevant systems in a straightforward manner. Ideally master data is created only once and used through the life-cycle of the product. This study clarifies the foundations for determining one product data from corporate strategy. Data definitions are analysed to understand its linkages to business drivers, whereas main business processes are used to support categorisation. The practices of three companies are analysed to understand how business drivers for new products impact product data requirements. The results highlight the importance of business drivers in defining one product data based on the product master data, business-process related product data and IT systems over the product life-cycle.