Cadalyst - February 2008 - (Page 36)

cadmanager An Open Letter to Your Boss Companies, senior managers, and CAD managers can benefit from increased understanding and improved communication. By Robert Green couple of years ago, I wrote a letter to senior managers extolling the virtues of CAD management. I’ve received a lot of feedback about that letter from CAD managers who wanted me to include more information or touch on particular topics. In this month’s “CAD Manager,” I’ve set out to write a letter to your boss in hopes that the company, senior managers, and CAD managers alike will all benefit from increased understanding. A Why CAD Management Matters If you’re a member of senior management and you’re reading this column, it’s most likely because the CAD manager in your company has brought it to your attention. Over the years I’ve written columns that advise CAD managers to become more businesslike and communicate more effectively with their upper management. This open letter to you is the inverse; my attempt to speak directly to senior managers about the great effect that CAD managers can have within your company. You’ve spent money on computers, software, training, and implementation for CAD tools, and I’m betting you’d like to get more for your money, right? Well I’m here to tell you that your CAD manager is the perfect resource to help you accomplish that goal. Who else around your company actually understands enough about CAD to make all the software work while being able to explain it all to users and senior managers alike? You have to admit that your CAD manager is a unique commodity. u If you could hire someone who could increase every team member’s efficiency by 10% for a particular project, would you call that overhead or a job-billable expense with a very nice return on your investment? u If you could bring in a consultant to tell you where all your process problems are and how to attack them, would you call that overhead or an investment in your future success? CAD managers allow you to gain all the benefits to which I’ve alluded, if you’ll let them. Start telling your department staffs that you’d like to see CAD management used as a cost-saving and efficiency-maximizing engine that works on every project. By touting the value of CAD management, you’ll communicate that it’s not about unjamming printers — it’s about better design processes. Authority: CAD Managers Need It You’ve likely asked your CAD manager (or have heard others ask them) to undertake tasks such as setting up project kickoff meetings, managing CAD standards, or conducting user training. After all, these tasks are the sorts of things CAD managers should be doing, right? But let me ask, what happens when people don’t make it to project kickoff meetings, standards aren’t followed, or training classes are postponed? Do you come to your CAD manager’s rescue and back him or her up? Why not resolve to help your CAD manager by backing him or her up with the authority needed to do the job you’ve asked him/her to do? Some easy things you can do to help your CAD manager are: u Send out notices for training sessions and project kickoff meetings from your e-mail account and make sure everyone knows that you expect everyone to comply. u When project or client CAD standards are violated, make it clear that you expect the violators to fix the problems they’ve caused. You could even offer to attend a standards meeting with your CAD manager to make it clear that standards are a priority for the company and that you expect everyone to work with the CAD manager. You can excuse yourself from these meetings after a few minutes, but the clear message that you support your CAD manager will linger in the room long after you leave. u While you’re at it, give your CAD manager some minor purchasing authority such as a corporate card that will allow him or her to purchase small items — software utilities, a training manual, or emergency plotter supplies — without having to run the accounting gauntlet. The message you send by trusting your CAD manager with some financial responsibility goes a long way. Your CAD manager is the perfect resource to help you get more for the money you spend on computers, software, and training. CAD Management Is Not Overhead A common misperception is that CAD management is simply an overhead activity like unjamming a printer or installing a new phone at a user’s desk. CAD managers do perform some clerical tasks, but their core value is in making your projects run better so your company gets more work done with the same number of people. Do I have your interest? To drive the point home, ponder these questions: 36 February 2008 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com http://www.cadalyst.com

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

Cadalyst - February 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Tech Trends More than Meets the Eye — A Look at Today's CAD Viewers IronCAD v10 — 3D Modeling Software AcceliArch with AcceliCAD — Add-In Architectural Drawing and Modeling Software CAD Manager MCAD Modeling AEC Insight CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry

Cadalyst - February 2008

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