C12: Adjusting to New Versions

Just learning a program is not enough. Once you learn a program, you must stay up to date with any revisions. Revisions can be major or minor, but any living software will have revisions regularly. If a software is not being revised, the company has most likely decided to phase it out.

Most programs are revised on a regular basis. In the past, software companies released a new product every few years, and customers purchased an upgrade. Some companies still do it this way. However, many companies now require that you pay a monthly subscription to your software, and they upgrade the software continuously.

If you are dealing with a major revision, take the time to read the release notes; these notes contain everything that has changed from the last version. Do note that some of the changes may be in the function or security of the program; often, you will not notice those changes. Still, you want to be aware of any changes that will affect how you work.

If you are dealing with constantly updating software, hopefully the company will be conscientious and inform you of what has changed. They may not, however. If you are in this situation, you cannot assume you know how the software will perform over time. A function that did not work a year ago may work now. Something that was beyond the software’s ability in the past may be possible now.

If a company is updating software without informing the user, the software may suddenly act differently. If you are in this situation, take some downtime to explore the software as if you were new to it, making sure you test out old problems and functions that did not work the way you wanted. For instance, in the past, Word could not handle a picture that was both transparent and had blurred edges. Now it can. With this type of upgrade situation, you must be even more adaptable than ever.

If you have not worked with a software in a while, approach it as you would a program new to you. Look it over for functionality. Be prepared for surprises. Sometimes, these changes can be very subtle. Sometimes, these changes profoundly affect how you interact with the software.

Once again, it comes down to adaptability. We must be able to adapt to new versions as we do to any new software.