Understanding ERP, PLM and Shop Floor Systems for QA Professionals

If you want to grow in a QA role, there’s one skill that gives you an immediate advantage: understanding the difference between ERP, PLM, and shop floor systems.

They sound technical, but the truth is simple: they follow the same logic we use when working with paper records.

✅ ERP: the administrative brain

(Examples: SAP, M3, Microsoft Dynamics, Navision, Oracle, AFAS)

An ERP is where traceability lives: batches, inventories, production orders, and material consumption. For QA, it’s the tool that tells you where a batch came from and where it went.

If you can read a paper production sheet, you can learn an ERP.

✅ PLM: the live manual of the product

(Examples: Optiva, Selerant Devex, SpecPage, Trace One, Oracle PLM)

A PLM manages recipes, specifications, labels, workflows, and approvals. It ensures that all product information is correct and updated.

If you’ve ever reviewed a product spec in Excel or Word, you already understand the logic behind a PLM.

✅ Shop floor systems: what happens in real time

(Examples: MES, SCADA, HMI from Siemens, Wonderware, Ignition, Rockwell)

These systems record real-time data such as temperatures, times, weights, or machine status. For QA, they make CCP/PPRO verification easier and more reliable—no missing handwriting, no lost papers.

✅ The key to not being afraid

Many people think these systems are difficult because they are digital. But here’s the truth:

Everything you did on paper, you now do on a screen. The logic doesn’t change.

Understanding this gives you a big advantage in interviews.