In his travels across the United States talking to customers and seeking sustenance, Newforma Director of Customer Satisfaction Dan Conery resolves the debate about carbohydrates versus proteins, explains why information needs to be everywhere at once, and gives hope to those caught in the valley of despair.
You recently visited Newforma customers in Kansas City, Missouri, famous for its barbecue. Is that what you ate?
Before the barbecue, I tried Pasta Tasting Trio at Lidia’s (Lidia’s Kansas City). Then I had pork ribs and burnt ends at Jack Stack’s (Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue).
Couldn’t decide between carbohydrates and protein, huh?
Actually, I did decide. I decided to have carbohydrates in one meal and protein in the other.
A true diplomat.
Lidia’s solves the problem of deciding what to order by serving three different pasta dishes at one serving. You’re welcome to ask for second helpings, but even I have trouble ordering seconds at Lidia’s. But in the barbecue department, I should add that Arthur Bryant’s gets an honorable mention, and Oklahoma Joe’s is on the list of places to eat in Kansas City.
When you were not occupied with sustenance, what was the buzz in Kansas City?
There was a lot of enthusiasm around upgrading to Newforma Project Center Fifth Edition. I talked to one project manager who loves it because it has this new RFI activity center to manage requests for information. Everyone who’s used Fifth Edition to manage RFIs gives that functionality a huge thumbs up, especially if they were trying to use other parts of Newforma Project Center for RFIs prior to Fifth Edition. To put it diplomatically, there was pent up demand.
Why would RFIs generate any more excitement than, say, the Submittals activity center?
We think it may be because submittals have a physical presence, and aren’t as readily perceived as being electronically manageable, whereas no one disputes that RFIs can be managed entirely electronically.
I hear Deltek integration is another reason uptake is strong. When you create a project in Deltek® Vision®, it automatically creates those projects in Newforma Project Center.
I thought people liked the fact that it saves work, but it’s not about saving work. It’s about having those projects show up in Newforma Project Center at the same time they show up in Deltek. People need to start working on those projects right away, and to do that, those projects need to show up in each software program at the same time.
Architects and engineers are dealing with lots of new technology initiatives these days, what with Vision and Revit and others. How does Newforma fit that mix?
Everyone’s dealing with what the industry calls “the valley of despair” – the period right after the introduction of a new technology when productivity actually dips before rising, as users are learning the new software. Newforma’s valley of despair is tiny compared to other enterprise applications, so our IT champions often deploy Newforma Project Center in order to notch a quick win.
IT people as heroes: Is it possible?
To be deployed and in use within days is rare for software in this industry, yet several of our customers have made that happen. It’s true, I’ve heard more than one user say he’d rather continue with old email habits, but, for the most part, the slight modifications in behavior are overshadowed by the benefits. It’s a complete reversal of conventional wisdom, which says new software brings complaints.
Speaking of something to complain about, what’s the take on the economy from the customers you have spoken with?
Well, I’m working from microscopic sample sizes, so that’s really a question to discuss at newformant.com, where lots of people can chip in with answers. But what I’ve seen is, firms that specialize in domestic-only business such as retail development are suffering, but firms that design healthcare facilities or work outside the United States are growing. One customer told me their firm is prospering despite having a U.S. office that had shrunk 30 percent through attrition. The money’s being made by the firm’s U.K. office, which has doubled in size and is twice as profitable as U.S. operations. Newforma licenses are already growing outside the US. For me, I can’t wait to sample the blood pudding in England!
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