Cadalyst - January 2008 - (Page 36)

cadmanager Setup a test laptop. Chances are that whenever someone in the company gets a new laptop, it will have Vista on it. Why not take the opportunity to load up your common CAD tools and see how they behave for a couple of days? Sure, the laptop will be slower than a desktop machine, but you’ll get used to Vista’s differences and see if you have any major problems to overcome with your software. Go through XP deprivation. Take your laptop with Vista on it and set up the traditional office applications such as e-mail and MS Word and force yourself to use only that laptop for a couple of days. You’ll be slow at first and you’ll have questions as you get used to it, but you’ll know your way around when you’re done. Take notes as you go. As you go through the deprivation therapy I outlined above, keep track of what confused you so you know what tips and tricks you can deliver to your users when they migrate to Vista. Special advice. Vista will happen to you, it’s just a matter of when. You can’t avoid it forever, so why not go ahead and get ready for it now while the pressure isn’t so great? Being a CAD manager isn’t getting any easier — you’ll still have to navigate the minefield of hardware, software, and budgeting. More Pressure to Be Billable The past six years of survey data I’ve amassed shows a continuing trend toward part-time CAD managers being pressured to lower overhead, perform more work, and do whatever it takes to keep their users working. This pressure to be billable means CAD managers are more haggard and hurried and have less time to do the standards and development work that could really make users more productive. You can expect more of the same in 2008. So, how can you make this pressure work for you? Here are a couple of ideas: Tell your boss about your problems. It does little good to suffer in silence, so talk to your manager about the time pressures you’re under. He or she may be unaware of the magnitude of the problem. Work on cost-saving ideas. Show your management your ideas for generating savings so that it can see the benefits of CAD management. If you can show that the standards and development work you do can save a ton of money, management will be more likely to let you do the work. Turn overhead into billable time. Doing a project kickoff meeting? Get the project manager to pay for your time while doing so. Creating a custom program for the electrical department? Ask to apply your time toward a project that benefits from the programming. Don’t just accept overhead, fight back and make your time billable. Being More Business Savvy CAD managers are under more pressure than ever to support users in a variety of business environments, sometimes rapidly changing environments at that. As work environments change, so does the technology that you must budget for and manage. I see no changes in this trend for the new year, except that it may be accelerating. Because CAD managers need to be concerned with networks, filing, data accessibility, and security, you need to understand what your company is up to and evaluate how that might change your CAD management duties. Here are a few key questions to ask to help you assess your situation: u Is your company hiring more people? u Is your company purchasing other businesses or branch offices? u Is your company going to be purchased by someone else? u Are business conditions good, bad, or OK? You can take what you learn and see whether you’ll need to budget for more machines, whether wide-area networks (for branch offices) might come into play, or whether you may have to conform to another company’s IT infrastructure. Plan accordingly, budget accordingly, and never quit asking these questions. Your goal should be to always know what’s coming at you in time to react without panic. 36 January 2008 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com Summing Up Being a CAD manager isn’t getting any easier, but you probably knew that. You’ll still have to navigate the minefield of hardware, software, and budgeting just as you have in years past but under greater pressure than ever. If you can sell the value of CAD management to your senior management and find creative ways to reduce overhead time costs, you should be able to thrive in today’s changing marketplace. No matter how much pressure I’m under, I still find CAD management a fascinating job that’s never dull. C Robert Green performs CAD programming and consulting throughout the United States and Canada. His new book, Expert CAD Management: The Complete Guide is now available. Reach him via his Web site at www.cad-manager.com. http://www.cad-manager.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - January 2008

Cadalyst - January 2008 Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Chasing the Dolphins CAD that Won’t Break the Bank AliasStudio 2008 — Design and Visualization Software VectorWorks 2008 — CAD/BIM Authoring Software Dell Precision M4300 — Mobile Workstation What’s in Store for 2008? Low- or No-Cost CAD Goliath Reinvented Doin’ the DEED Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes The Return of Hot Tip Harry

Cadalyst - January 2008

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