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Do We Need a CAD Manager?
31 Oct, 2011 By: Robert GreenMemo to senior management: A CAD manager is a valuable ally in your efforts to achieve business goals.
Editor's note: This article was originally published in the Fall 2011 issue of Cadalyst magazine.
Over the years, I've heard from readers around the country who, for one reason or another, have to justify the need for a CAD manager to senior management teams that often think of CAD management as overhead — and thus try to cut back the position or eliminate it entirely. In this edition of "CAD Manager," I want to offer some insight to help senior management better understand why CAD management makes good business sense and why it should be preserved.
CAD managers, pass this column to your bosses and use it as a conversation starter about the value of CAD management. Let me know how that conversation turns out for you. Here goes.
Get Regular Checkups
When I speak with senior managers, I'm often asked, "Do we really need a CAD manager?" I almost always answer, "Yes!" Then I make my case for why CAD management is so crucial.
The first question to ask is: What would you pay a consultant to tell you everything you're doing wrong with your CAD processes? What would you pay if he or she produced a plan that would cut waste, speed project completion, increase customer satisfaction, and help you do more with existing staff? I bet you'd pay handsomely for that service, wouldn't you? Well, then, why don't you take advantage of the CAD manager you have who can help you achieve these goals — right now?
If you view your CAD manager as an in-house consultant who helps prevent problems rather than someone who fixes them after they happen, you'll begin to understand why this position is crucial to your business.
Still not convinced? Then think of CAD management like dentistry: cheap and uncomplicated if used regularly, but painful and expensive if ignored for years at a time. Many companies let their CAD systems go without a CAD-management checkup for too long, then have the CAD equivalent of a root canal to deal with at great organizational cost and pain.
It Isn't Easy
As the economy gets tighter, everyone is pushed to do more with less, and the CAD manager is no exception. However, think about some of the challenges a CAD manager has to deal with that others don't.
Software complexity. CAD managers now have to support 2D CAD drafting, 3D modeling, rendering, animation, data management, and information exchange. Keep in mind that if your CAD manager doesn't help your company understand this complexity, you must take the advice of the software developer regarding what is best for your company.
Cloud computing. Increasingly, developers of CAD and related tools are offering their applications through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, commonly called cloud computing. Accessed via the Internet, such software can be easier and more affordable to maintain and can connect branch offices and support remote workers. However, this technology requires testing, IT interaction, and optimization despite how "easy" all the software companies say it is. If the CAD manager isn't involved with your cloud-computing strategy now, chances are it won't work later.
Shrinking training budgets. Has your company cut back training? Most have, yet all these new CAD tools and work methods require users to be trained, so the CAD manager runs ragged trying to keep up. Cutting your training budget doesn't reduce the number of people having problems or needing to learn new software.
Standards enforcement. Have you made changes to your company's operating procedures? If so, was it easy to change the way people operate? Well, at least you have the authority to make the changes stick because you have the management power to do so! Try changing company CAD standards when you have no power to do so — that's what your CAD manager is up against.
To make matters worse, CAD managers are often told to accomplish all of this in their "extra time" and "in between projects," and to avoid charging any of the time to overhead.
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