Q: You are an old timer at Carmen with over 10 years at the company. Don’t you long for the small company that it once was?
A: Well, I don’t think I’m a “looking back” person. There was a lot of fun back then, but today Carmen is an even more exciting company to work for. There is still the small company’s ability to create what you believe in, but today it’s coupled with more structure and stability.

Q: 2 years ago you were thinking of leaving. What made you change your mind?
A: I always felt frustrated that we (like everyone else…) said that our clients are the most important assets but at the same time we weren’t paying them the attention I thought they deserved. The possibility of developing a program to ensure our clients get the most out of our systems was reason enough to put all thoughts of quitting out of my mind.

Q: You are responsible for the IQ program at Carmen. Why is IQ a good idea? Consulting for free -isn't that just a waste of money?
A: IQ stands for Installation Quality. It is extremely important that our clients use our products most effectively. As soon as a system is taken into production “change” starts affecting it. There is a major risk that quality reduces over time. With IQ we have a tool to prevent this and also a tool to make sure that our clients get the most out of new developments. Great installations make great references - great references create business. IQ is a good investment.

Q: Which particular achievement are you most proud of in your IQ experience?
A: When I started, I thought that the IQ job would be very technical, and to some extent, it is. However, it soon became obvious that the most important factor for getting the full potential out of the products is the organization using it. A lot of clients have already started to change their organization. That is what I am most proud of so far.

Q: You have achieved some very impressive results. Why can solution quality be improved by several percentage points in some cases?
A: In most cases the reason is that there are new possibilities with the product, which are not known or have not been taken into production by the clients. For example, with Carmen 7 and the Column Generator we have created the biggest leap in performance for any two successive versions ever. The column generator makes demands on the structure of costs and rules to perform well. Normally an analysis and an adjustment must be done to use it efficiently. I like to think that another reason is that I have learned something over the last ten years!