Product lifecycle management (PLM) and product data management (PDM) software have some overlapping tools and features. But these two types of platforms ultimately serve different functions in the product development process.
PLM tools are centered around the planning, design, execution, testing, launch, and marketing of a single product or series of products. PLM software tends to encompass:
Workflows
Milestones or stage gates
CAD/BOM syncing
Change management processes
PDM tools, on the other hand, are all about the collection, navigation, storage, and security of a different type of asset: data. They may host data in the cloud or on-premise, and tend to encompass:
Controlling and maintaining a “master file”
Tracking each changes with each new version update
Assigning part numbers for each part/file across the overarching assembly