It seems like CAD managers live in a state of perpetual struggle to get ever-increasing project work done with insufficient budget or control to do so. And, if that weren’t enough, we’re constantly being bombarded with new software products, evolving cloud technology, and the IT problems that come with it all as we try to complete billable work. And, if your workday is anything like mine, nobody is ever shy about asking me to do more.
So, in this edition of The CAD Manager’s Newsletter, we’ll cover what you should be asking for (insisting on) to get your job done. I’ll break the items down and give you some talking points to use with management to push back and start to get what you need. Here goes.
Image source: Sashkin/stock.adobe.com.
I always start any discussion about making CAD processes better with the argument that there’s no bigger “no brainer” decision in the CAD environment than upgrading workstations. Today’s workstations are far more powerful than those produced a few years ago with huge gains in processing (more cores with bigger caches), faster CPU/RAM clock rates, better graphics, and cheap/fast solid-state disks that all combine to speed CAD performance in a big way. Even a $2,500 workstation (minus monitor) provides a great CAD platform for 3D users now.
With the new hardware we have available to us, it simply doesn't make sense to keep using the old, slow hardware that bogs down or crashes when attempting to work with large data files. Put another way, why would you want to force an expensive employee working on a high-profile project to suffer with a slow, boat anchor workstation when they could get more done using a fast, efficient new one?
Making the case: It’s one of a CAD manager’s roles to make the case that new workstations really aren’t expensive when amortized over time. Consider a $2,500 workstation upgrade’s real cost during a 3-year lifespan using 48 work weeks (at 40 hours per work week) as a cost basis and you’ll arrive at the following cost per hour:
Now, take this computation to your senior management team and compare this to the cost of insuring and paying a CAD professional and they’ll soon realize that the workstation is the least expensive part of equipping a CAD user.
(Note: With CAD software costing thousands of dollars per year in subscription fees, the workstation also costs far less than the software it runs!)
Now that many CAD tools operate across wide area network (WAN), cloud, or vendor web site access, there is no overstating how critical adequate internet bandwidth is to running CAD applications well. After all, what good is running CAD on the cloud if your connection to the cloud is so slow that CAD applications don’t run well? I’ve found that many corporate management teams want to use cloud or Internet-enabled CAD tools because they believe they’ll save money doing so — yet they don’t factor in the increased cost of network and bandwidth upgrades to really run the software properly.
So, if the bandwidth isn’t going to be made available, a real discussion about network optimization via synchronization tools needs to take place. By employing network synchronization tools, the remote files (be they on a WAN or a cloud-based location) are brought to the user’s local desktop so workstations can operate effectively.
How to show the problem: If your management team is pushing for collaborative or cloud-based CAD tools, then your job is to show them how those tools really run in your current network environment. Demonstrations of slow file opening, intolerable wait times for updating models between remote locations, or sluggish performance at job sites is one way to make slow bandwidth stick out like a sore thumb. Ask the question, “How do you expect us to get project work done efficiently if we have to work in this environment?” In my experience, this approach often shocks management and IT staffs into the real world and kickstarts the discussion about speeding things up.
It is crucial that the CAD manager fights for the bandwidth or data synchronization to run CAD correctly, so do not back down.
It seems logical that high-speed workstations with high-bandwidth cloud/Internet access should allow us to get our work done faster, right? But, if we simply use our new equipment to work in the same old broken way will we be getting the best return on our investment? Without taking the time to understand how to improve our processes, we will simply be making the same mistakes again, albeit on faster more connected computers.
Advocate doing things better: If your management team has provided you with the hardware and network bandwidth you fought for, your challenge now is to get them thinking about how to squeeze every bit of performance from their investment. Do this by demonstrating any new procedures and standards you can devise to make your CAD tools work faster and reduce errors. Do this and your management team will see that letting you optimize processes saves them time and money — and maximizes their investment in those new workstations.
Optimizing any process doesn’t just happen – it takes effort from the CAD manager and training of CAD operators to make the new processes stick. So, doesn't it stand to reason that people will better use and absorb your optimized processes if you take the time to train them on it? And, doesn’t it also seem that it is silly to invest the time and effort required for new hardware, bandwidth, and the time to optimize processes and NOT train users how to use it all?
Show training as an investment in better work methods: The CAD manager that fights for this targeted optimization training process is the CAD manager that will achieve higher user adoption rates of optimized standards and procedures. And, we all know that when people work using standards and procedures, errors drop and productivity goes up. So, tell your management that training is the last piece of the optimization puzzle you need to make the new CAD environment optimally efficient.
(Note: Management perceives training to be an expense and they are correct to think this. This is why the CAD manager must emphasize that training sessions will be short, targeted, and ruthlessly focused on getting better workplace results.)
Of course all the work we do to update and optimize our CAD environment will be for naught if users are allowed to go rogue with their own Dropbox accounts, phones, tablets, and non-standard applications. And, since most CAD managers don’t have the authority to tell users what they can or can’t use on their own mobile devices, it becomes the responsibility of the company to articulate reasonable policies.
Make a reasoned argument: Stress how disruptive it can be to let users deviate from optimized processes with their own devices and apps. By illustrating the disruptions you’ve experienced due to personal device use you can illustrate why the company should have policies to prevent the issues.
CAD management continues to be an evolving job with a variety of challenges, but in my mind none are more critical than these five issues we’ve just discussed. I hope this summary of what to push for will help you plan your CAD manager priorities strategy and how to discuss it all with your management teams.
What other issues do you consider critical to fight for in your company’s CAD environment that I’ve missed? Email me with your thoughts. Until next time.