Managing Change

by Evan Caille, President of PTC/USER

As a student of both history and science, I’ve always been fascinated by the people and stories behind the creation, adoption, and eventual obsolescence of technology. It’s really true that history repeats itself. Delve into the stories behind invention of the typewriter, the computer, and the Internet, and you’ll discover a similar pattern—the technology initially meets with rejection and skepticism, gradually gains grudging acceptance, and ultimately becomes a ubiquitous part of our lives.

In some cases we embrace the change, while at other times we loathe it. Sometimes we do both at once. For example, I often wonder how we ever conducted business without the benefit of e-mail, while also grumbling about the amount of spam in my inbox. Like it or not, technological shifts affect our lives at home, at work, and at play.

And the pace of change is increasing, with new technologies being introduced and abandoned as never before. Consider the VCR. A recent article (http://www.physorg.com/news2099.html) reports that a major retail chain in the UK will no longer sell them, given that sales of DVD players now outstrip sales of VCRs by a factor of 40 to 1. And this comes a mere 26 years after the VCR first appeared on the market.

Within this fast-paced environment, manufacturing organizations typically embrace the concept of continuous process improvement as a way to develop better products while also decreasing time-to-market. These process changes often involve introducing new tools or upgrading old ones. With each change, there is usually a short-term productivity hit until the new tool or process has been fully assimilated. Thoughtful and justified change is painful, but the long-term benefits are immense.

Just consider what’s happened with Pro/ENGINEER. In the 18 years that it’s been on the market, the software has undergone major overhauls to both the very visible user interface and the less apparent “under-the-hood” modeling engine. The user interface changes, in particular, have caused consternation for some because they force us to change how we use the tool and briefly take us out of our comfort zone. For users who have made the transition to Wildfire and now to Wildfire 2.0, I’m sure the experience has been equally disruptive. It’s like replacing your hammer with an electric nail gun when you’re framing a house. The nail gun is vastly more efficient but it takes some getting used to just because it is so different. We have to get beyond the hurdle of simply pounding on a nail with the nail gun turned off because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

This is where the PTC and PTC/USER partnership comes into play. Our common goal is to ensure that users of Pro/ENGINEER and Windchill products are able to realize maximum value from their investment. Together we provide a full range of services to help both new and experienced users attain, and maintain, proficiency on PTC’s software products. Through our Technical Committees, Regional User Groups, annual conferences, educational offerings, and newsletters, PTC/USER provides opportunities to gain valuable knowledge and interact with PTC on a variety of levels. For example, PTC conducted Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire update training at the last two PTC/USER conferences in North America.

By the way, productivity improvement is a good selling point to make to your management when trying to justify attendance at the next PTC/USER World Event. Taking this opportunity to attend expert presentations, meet with PTC product managers, visit industry partner booths, and interact with your peers all in one venue is a cost-effective way to learn practical ideas to help you extract the full potential from the tools we employ. I personally have not left a single PTC/USER conference without at least three or four significant tips that could be immediately implemented at my company to improve our users’ productivity. This is in addition to all the other knowledge gained that helps with the long-range planning and day-to-day operation of our CAD and PDM systems. The small investment in the conference fee and travel costs pays off several-fold, yielding a good return for your company.

The pace of technological change is not slowing down. As PTC products continue to evolve, you will need to tap into every resource to keep up with the advances. PTC/USER, in partnership with PTC, is committed to providing you with valuable and practical knowledge to assist you in this endeavor. Don’t become obsolete. Become a PTC/USER member, become engaged, and reap the benefits.

Evan Caille works at HP in Houston, TX. He can be reached via e-mail at evan@ptcuser.org.