Driving change
Set up a materials database

Implementing a reference system for materials cannot be done effectively without managing change within the organization. This involves raising awareness of the system's challenges.

It is therefore important to involve stakeholders right from the design stage of the database, and to communicate throughout its implementation. Stakeholders must be made responsible for the database updating process.

This task of facilitating the process generally falls to a database administrator. This person is responsible for regularly reminding users of best practices when using or updating information in the database. He or she also participates in user training and is responsible for ensuring the database's longevity.