Reviewing our 50-year journey tells us much about software. Now let’s recap how good software becomes great:
1. Continuity of development: Note our three distinct programs, each one totally rewritten to tackle larger objectives. Yet each was based on 15+ years of experience with the previous generation. MiTek 2000 added three-dimensional truss elements to a planar PowerCalc program. Sapphire added non-truss elements and built the complete structure.
2. Leveraging latest technology: MiTek 2000 was the first industry program written for Windows PCs, using the most advanced truss layout capabilities (acquired from A.C.E.S.). Sapphire added the Weyerhaeuser EWP products, and later, those of Boise-Cascade. Prospective users increasingly look to the future.
3. Winning the desktop: Gaining the largest share of users gives unprecedented user feedback and funds the largest development team.
As we addressed the major design issues, two other tasks challenged CMs:
4. Production management: Thousands of pieces need to be batched, cut, and assembled. Automated equipment requires both cutting and jig setup information. Jobs must to be scheduled and assigned. Deliveries need to be organized. Work commenced as follows:
1990s – MiTek Management imported the truss and job data into FoxPro database.
2000s – MBA, the MiTek Business Application, added the power of SQL Server.
2010s – Sapphire Management integrated the data with the Sapphire Suite.
5. Shop floor management: Moving work into the shop with paperless efficiency minimized shop overhead and increased scheduling flexibility. Programming work embraced both truss and wall panel capabilities in the 1990s and now manages shop operations in over 400 locations. Currently increased emphasis is being placed on collecting real time labor data.
What’s next? Off-Site construction, integration with CAD, hardware inclusion, and a myriad of new features will crowd CM development tasks over the next 50 years. A high priority has to be given to accommodating today’s massive monolithic wood apartment structures. And what about the taller wood structures coming with IBC 2021 Code?
Succeeding generations of CM software will rise on the foundations that are currently in place, based on the collective needs of CMs, and the progression of wood construction. We’ve come a long way in 50 years, but have much work ahead.