Using guidelines to train key users: accelerate skills development during a CAD/PDM software transition

During the transition to CAD/PLM software, key users underwent guideline-based training aligned with company workflows. This practical approach, which linked tool functions to real design practices, accelerated the acquisition of skills, ensured modelling consistency, and improved understanding of digital engineering. The study identifies key users as knowledge multipliers and reveals how such methods develop competence. The findings emphasise the significance of problem-solving training and the relevance of guideline-based methods for industrial practice and design education.