How to Drive PLM Adoption Across Global Teams: Nextern's Propel Strategy | Propulsion 2026

Every PLM migration has a go-live date, a data plan, and a training schedule. What most don't have is a strategy for the people who will resist, stall, or quietly undermine the whole thing.

At Propulsion 2026, Caroline Byrd, VP of Regulatory, Quality, and Clinical at Nextern, brought the room to life with a refreshingly candid look at what organizational change management actually looks like in practice. With a career spanning Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical, Abbott, and Leica Biosystems, Caroline has navigated some of the most complex regulatory and operational transformations in medical device history.

Caroline tells the story of a huge migration from Oracle Agile to Propel, managing a 700-person global organization across the US, Vietnam, Costa Rica, and China, with 45 customers, 375 SKUs, 700-plus suppliers, and 6,500 change orders processed last year alone. In this session, she breaks down the grief curve, the technology adoption spectrum, and the real personas in every organization who will make or break your implementation, plus the creative, human-centered tactics Nextern is using to bring everyone along for the ride.

Key Takeaways

Technology Adoption Fails at the Human Layer, Not the Software Layer

The biggest obstacle in any PLM migration is not configuration or data migration. It is the people who resist, work around, or quietly revert to old habits, and having a deliberate strategy to move them through that transition is what separates successful deployments from prolonged ones.

Know Where Every Stakeholder Sits on the Adoption Curve

Caroline maps four real Nextern personas, ranging from the click-counting tech enthusiast to the influential engineer who avoids documentation, across the innovation adoption spectrum. Understanding where each person sits determines how you communicate, what you prioritize, and where you focus your energy.

Your Early Adopters Can Become Your Biggest Liabilities

Enthusiastic champions who are not properly managed will turn skeptic the moment reality falls short of expectation. Caroline's approach: level-set early, keep them informed, and give them a productive outlet so they stay on your side throughout the rollout.

Silence is the Fastest Way to Lose Momentum

When timelines slip or things go sideways, the worst move is to go quiet. Caroline's rule is to communicate on cadence regardless, even if the update is "we don't have all the answers yet." Consistent communication builds trust; silence builds anxiety.

Make It Tangible, Even When the Product Is Invisible

Nextern created a branded project identity, a resource hub, a mascot built with AI, and a 3D-printed rocket that employees earn piece by piece as they complete training modules. Giving people a physical, visible reminder of their progress turns an abstract software rollout into something they own.

Build in Feedback Loops and Actually Close Them

User forums, direct lines to subject matter experts, and a culture of listening are not just nice-to-haves. They are how you catch problems before they become catastrophes, keep your adopters engaged, and demonstrate to skeptics that their concerns are heard and addressed.

Don’t just follow the shift, lead it. Watch all Propulsion 2026 sessions.

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Want to see how other product companies are navigating the same transition?

Explore Propel's customer stories to see how teams like Nextern's are rethinking PLM, quality, and change management on a platform built for the complexity of modern product development.

About Propulsion 2026

‍Propulsion brings together everything product and manufacturing leaders need to know in one place. Bringing you Propel’s boldest platform reveals, critical AI and market insights from top industry analysts, and real customer results. These sessions are designed to cut through the noise so you can put what matters most to work immediately.