The Year 2000 Problem - A Primer For Manufacturers

By David M. Nadler and Edward W. Kirsch*

What is the Year 2000 Problem?

The Year 2000 Problem can be traced to the early days of computing, when memory and data storage were very expensive. To conserve these limited resources, computer programmers decided to use just two digits in date fields to identify the calendar year. Accordingly, 1999 is often identified as "99." The assumption in this approach is that the date is within the twentieth century. In the year 2000 this assumption will be invalid and some systems will not properly recognize dates.

Why Should Senior Management Be Involved In Meeting The Year 2000 Challenge?

The origins of the Year 2000 Problem are technical; however, its resolution is primarily a complex business management problem. The technical aspects of fixing the problem can be time consuming, but the technical problem and the available methods of code correction are well understood.