I can't understand how they could have not standardized their software prior to starting the A380 program. Multiple software versions on their most important design package were a disaster waiting to happen. I'm deferring several software upgrades right now to avoid compatibility problems till after the company I work for finishes a current project.
I don't understand the logic too well either. Somewhere I read that they just didn't like that Dassault (who makes CATIA) was also an aviation competitor?
Is it a management flaw? Is it compatibility issues as in your case? Some software is backward compatible and some are not. Did you say you work on CATIA or AutoCad?
I wonder if some of Airbus's problems aren't due to their stubbornness or some French socialist culture fear of saving face. (I'd glad to be a capitalist, lol).