How to Master Hexagon EAM

I am reminded of Day One at Army Officer Candidate School. The senior cadets were having a field day causing chaos for us newbies. As soon as we were dumped off at the facility, trouble began. The senior cadets would yell at us, tell us we had to carry all of our bags in one trip, and then demand that we report to building whatever. As soon as we got there, another senior would tell us we were in the wrong building and to go to another one.

This went on all day. Never mind that the temperature was 102 and the humidity was as bad as it could get in June. Suddenly, I heard Senior Cadet Washington bellow above the chaos, “You gotta want it!”

For some reason that gave me the strength to overcome.

And that is how you master Hexagon EAM. You’ve got to want it.

I was issued a laptop with MP5, which is like a Windows 95 version of Hexagon EAM. I had a “readme” file that offered login credentials. I jumped in and it was like I had slammed into a brick wall. Nothing worked and I could not figure it out. That’s when I phoned a friend.

Chris was an MP5 consultant who knew the product well. He quickly noticed that my user account was not connected to an organization or an employee record. Once he pulled me out of the ditch, I had something to work with.

But really, Day One of a two-week MP5 training class did not go well. I suddenly received an instant message over AOL that said I needed to check the news. When I did, I discovered that airplanes had flown into the World Trade Center buildings in New York.

Suffice to say, just like everyone else, we didn’t get much done that day. After that, and for the next two weeks, we powered through MP5 training the best we could.

Moving forward, my first assignment was to instruct an MP5 class targeting users of a large company that had decided to make the move from MP2 to MP5. In turn, I was eaten alive by people who knew maintenance, MP2, and how the software ought to work. Although I thought my performance was the worst it could be, the students liked me. I scratched my balding head wondering why—and then it hit me.

They saw my passion and my burning desire to master MP5, and they praised me.

Over the years, I have traveled from one client’s office to another and have run into all kinds of problems. Occasionally, I reached out to secure the help of a friend, and other times they would reach out to me if they got in a jam.

Ultimately, if you want to master Hexagon EAM, you must really want it. You need to find a mentor and have friends who are willing to help you when you need it. Join the product communities and don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions. And finally, remember to pay it forward. Never deny help to someone who is new to the platform and in possession of the desire to learn Hexagon EAM.