It’s an uphill fight. Be prepared.
Changing CAD systems can be very disruptive to an engineering operation. It’s never just the CAD system. There’s always ancillary tools that will be affected. The company’s customers, which rely on technical documentation, will feel the impact of such a change, for example.
So, making a change of this magnitude is not something you do on a whim. You need to understand the impact it will have on a wide group of coworkers. You’re going to have to explain why you want to change the CAD software.
The first step in picking a new CAD software is to recognize an unfulfilled need. That need has to be worth a lot of money. Replacing CAD software is expensive, so you can’t do it based on a personal preference, opinion or hunch. You have to do some actual analysis and accounting to figure this out. Also, when you look at the scope of the work that has to be done, it is clear that much of this probably has to be done in phases with testing throughout the phases.
Making a big change like 2D to 3D is easy enough to justify, but in this day and age, most companies have already done this. It’s when you change from one 3D modeler to another that you will need justification.
In the end, making a change like this has to come down to some sort of savings, accounted in either time or money, or something that is easily convertible into time or money, such as training or not having to pay for something that a new CAD program would be able to do.
Here is a step-by-step method for justifying and selecting a new primary CAD tool for your company.
1. Recognize the Need for a Change
The old software has not kept up with developments that are important to your industry. This can include new methods, interfaces or workflows that you believe would give you an advantage. For example, if you make products with complex shapes, where form is as important as function, you might be able to save 70 percent of your design or concept building time by switching to a subdivision modeler instead of a history-based solid modeler with surfacing. Or maybe most of your products have basic shapes and you realize that 80 percent of your design process can use software that is 25 percent of the price compared to your old tools.
There have been many new developments in areas such as platform, licensing, hardware, application and data hosting, new modeling techniques and data management that should be evaluated if your CAD software was first released more than 20 years ago.
The CAD industry has gone through significant consolidation on various fronts, including software developers and resellers. Your relationship with your vendors may have changed and it may be time to re-evaluate how those changes have affected your business.
2. Analyze the Cost of the Change
One part of the cost justification should be the cost of not making the proposed change. Missed opportunities or picking up a new idea too late can have devastating costs to your business.
The cost of software can come in waves and as more and more vendors move to a subscription model, any expense is likely to have a recurring component. Software can include the CAD tool, document/design process management, enterprise resource planning (ERP) connection, analysis, simulation, visualization, view and markup, add-ons for piping, electrical, process, and more. You may also need this software in varying degrees for engineering, design, manufacturing, purchasing, packaging, service and other departments around your company.
2.1 The Cost of Staying on the Latest Version and Support
This is often called maintenance, or it might be rolled into an annual subscription. Some vendors are offering flexible licensing that seems to serve customers’ needs better than big bundles with a lot of software they’ll never use. As a practical matter, most companies don’t race to purchase the latest version. There is some sense in holding back to make sure no new bugs are introduced in the latest development cycle. On a subscription, you’ll pay for the latest version even if you don’t update to it.
Unless you have top shelf experts within your company or you have been using the software for a long time, it is impossible to overstate the value of technical support. A simple question can often prevent delays in your design cycle. Support shouldn’t be used as a replacement for training because both are vital to your success.
2.2 The Cost of Training
At the very least, a “train the trainers” method of training those who will come back and train the rest of the users will bring in enough expertise for your employees to make informed decisions. Cost is mainly time and money. Training can be used as a final selection round to ensure the software lives up to the unbridled optimism of salespeople.
2.3 The Cost of Professional Services
Implementation is an up-front consulting fee for help that goes beyond normal user training. This often deals with CAD admin type information, which is otherwise gained by experience, but you will have the need to get up and running immediately with things like a document management strategy, hardware selection and parts library.
2.4 The Cost of Converting Data
This cost may or may not apply. It depends on many things. First, your old product data may not need to be brought forward in all of its full parametric glory. If the tool you are moving to can deal with foreign format data, then you may not have to convert your data at all. Many times, a company will convert on an as-needed basis and only bring forward data that will be reused, such as product lines that just get tweaked instead of redesigned, or library data.
2.5 The Cost of Hardware
Whether you lease or purchase your computer hardware and if your new system is locally installed or web-based software as a service (SaaS), it is probably a good idea to replace your existing systems with new equipment if you’re replacing your entire CAD system. Hardware must include network equipment, servers and related hardware.
2.6 The Cost of Change
The one thing you can’t put your finger on is the one thing that will wind up costing you the most in time, angst, personnel issues and conflict—change. People are resistant to change, some more so than others, and managing change has to be a central part of your plan.
To some extent, you are going to have to gain the trust of the people who will be affected by this change. Age is the one factor that we aren’t allowed to talk about, but it strongly affects how we react to changes. If I only have 3 years before retirement, why would I want to learn a new system that might take 2 years to master? Sometimes it may make sense to leave someone behind on the old software to clean up items or make legacy changes that don’t make sense to bring forward to the new system. Show interest in the people who are resisting change and don’t let the situation become mutually antagonistic.
You have to sell change to management, but it is equally important to sell it to your coworkers. Demonstrate why it will be a benefit to them. You may have to partner with the vendor to help sell the system to individuals who may be obstructions to progress.
2.7 Pilot Projects, Writing Up New Procedures and Standards
Pilot projects are a great way to test new procedures and tools and to demonstrate that the process you are proposing actually works. Assign the best champions of the new process and make sure you are in constant contact with them throughout the project and that things are going according to plan. If there is an issue, work to solve it immediately. Getting a successful project on the books with the new process is instrumental to reducing the fear that some users may have.
3. Consider Performance
Performance can mean many things, but for most companies, it comes down to three things: ease of use/speed, power to do what you need it to do and the ability to function as expected. It is always the unexpected considerations that derail projects like this. If the software crashes or corrupts data often, that has to be a consideration that you take seriously.
4. Evaluate Market Share
Hiring new employees is a key requirement for moving forward with any software. This comes down to market share. Is this a disqualifying factor? You must also consider if the new software is substantially similar to the old from a training and usability point of view. Then again, if it’s similar, is the difference going to be big enough to be worth the change?
5. Consider Corporate Philosophy
Does the philosophy of the developer/vendor align with your company? Do they seem to understand your process/business/product? Do they have people on staff with real expertise? Are these people that you can trust? Alignment of corporate philosophy with a new vendor is usually something that takes time to evaluate, but you can easily tell if your old software vendor is filling that need or not.
6. Review the Age of the Product
Sometimes products just age out of the system. If a CAD tool is built on 30-year-old technology, moving forward with that product may be difficult. Does the developer have a track record of being able to develop new ideas without leaving customers behind? Do they have a plan for moving forward with new technology? Is their plan going to be disruptive to your business? Are you sure the advantages they are selling are relevant and applicable to your situation?
Summary
Change is hard, but sometimes it is also necessary. Missing the right opportunity to make necessary changes can also be costly. Planning for change helps to ensure success and you should plan on the need to sell your plan to both management and coworkers. When most people see that you have thoroughly considered the plan and are open to adjustments and input, they will be more cooperative.
