AUGIWorld Magazine - May/June 2008 - (Page 4)

The CAD Manager We Need to Talk If you were to list out the problems associated with each project, office, program, process, or procedure, I guarantee that communication would be on the list. Someone did not get the memo. Someone did not make that phone call. Someone did not say what they should have at the right time, to the right people, on the right subject. Communication can always be improved. I don’t think this will ever go away. This is because communication is always driven by people. People have to initiate and connect to communicate. People have to define, outline, document, and transfer information to another person or group of people. The baseline of communication is people connecting to people. As we know, people are not perfect. Even on their best days, they can be forgetful, time constrained, uninformed, unaware, or just plain lazy. Add to all this the sheer quantity and volume of things to communicate in a work environment. Timelines, scope of work, project workflow, deadlines, terms of service, quality assurance, checking and back checking, guidelines, and so much more. All of these items are coming at each of us from so many directions. Just think about the memos, email, voice mail, meetings, brainstorming sessions, and directives that we get every day. They are also coming from so many directions. Your boss, the client, your team, the firm, HR, accounting, project managers, and even your spouse (“Honey, can you pick up the kids from soccer today?”) So what is the CAD manager to do to rise above the fray? How can we make our voices heard? How can we blend into the flow of all this? What do people really need to know from the CAD manager? the areas of concern in your firm. They are the areas that seem never to get addressed or corrected. These are the areas that CAD managers are required to communicate. These are part of your job description. Here is a short list of possible topics: • CAD standards – always top of the list. Never stop talking about this. • CAD methods – the “how to” of CAD. This will get everyone on the same page. • BIM guidelines – What is embedded in your templates? How do you name files? How often do you save the model? How do you share data with others outside your office? • Upgrade timelines – When is the next release coming? When will your firm upgrade to the new release? • Training efforts – Never stop talking about the need for training. • CAD spending – What should the firm be doing next? Where the dollars should be spent? • Principles behind the standards – (see my article in AUGIWorld March/April 2007) – Why do we do the things we do? The timing When should you be talking? Well, always, but specifically at some definable intervals. Communication is best done when people need to hear what is being said. Frequently we are faced with attempting to transfer information that is out of context to the listener. They are thinking about a million other things, other than what you are trying to get across. They just don’t need to know at the time you are telling them. So when is a good time to talk to them? • At the beginning of a project – when people need your help setting things up. • At the milestones – when there is a point that achievements have been made. • At the submittals – before the client gets their hands on the CAD product. • Before a rollout – everyone needs to know what is coming next. • When someone hires on – they should be a sponge for information. • When there is a change in management structure – people coming into new positions are eager to learn. The audience The tools The topics 4 Let’s discuss what you should be talking about. You may already have a good idea of With who, exactly, should you be communicating? You need to be having a continuous conversation with anyone who touches CAD. When it comes time to communicate (which is always) you need to keep in touch with the following. • Your office(s) – You need to communicate with your entire office, and if you have multiple offices, then all of them. • Managers – Those who direct the work of others who are using the tools that you oversee. • Users – The end users of the tools you have chosen. • Clients – The end recipients of the output from these tools. Now we get down to the “how to” portion of this topic. There are many ways to communicate with others—some more direct, some last longer, and some are more expedient. When you use the right one at the right time, you will see success. When misapplied, the impact of the message is reduced or even totally lost. • Email. The most often used and the most often ignored. When you email someone about a specific issue, email is a good tool. But if it is a general broadcast message, it is easy to confuse the message. General information sent out to all just gets lost in the overall flow. Target your message to a smaller audience. Do not use email to deliver bad news. Do w w w. A U G I . c o m http://www.augi.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AUGIWorld Magazine - May/June 2008

AUGIWorld Magazine - May/June 2008 Table of Contents The CAD Manager From Drawing to Display: The Value of Autodesk Impression Designing for Auto-Dimensioning The Proof Is in the Footing Managing Customization and Profiles Getting to Know the Display Manager What's Cooking at Autodesk Labs? On the Back Page

AUGIWorld Magazine - May/June 2008

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