CAD Manager's Newsletter (#421)
12 Feb, 2019 By: Robert GreenLearn Your Boss's Priorities for Your Job
It's often difficult to determine how to organize your many tasks as a CAD manager. What does your boss want you to focus on first? There's only one way to know for certain — ask!
 Image source: Olivier Le Moal/stock.adobe.com |
When I hear from CAD managers about their concerns, there are certain questions that come up again and again: "How should I deal with all the tasks I have on my plate?" and "How does my boss expect me to get all this stuff done?" and "How can I know what they want me to work on first?" These questions may seem unrelated, but in reality they are all about two things: priorities and communication.
In this edition of the CAD Manager's Newsletter, we'll begin a discussion about prioritizing your workload so your managers will love what you're doing, and communicating in a way that helps them notice your efforts. Here goes.
What Your Boss Knows — and Needs
In my years as a CAD manager, I've talked with many senior management teams, and I've come to believe they think the following:
| • | They realize that your job is hard. |
| • | They know you've got a lot going on. |
| • | They're aware that you receive conflicting demands from users, project managers, and the IT department. |
So this means that they understand your plight, if not your job. But here are a few other things senior management teams tend to think:
| • | They expect you to help projects go out the door profitably. |
| • | They want you to prioritize standards and best practices over user desires. |
| • | They need you to keep software costs under control. |
| • | They want their priorities to be your priorities. |
Now we're getting somewhere: It turns out that senior management teams are all about business efficiency and profitability. So how should you prioritize the CAD manager's job in a way that'll make management happy?
Get Specific
Of course, it's one thing to speak in generalities about being more productive, controlling costs, and generating profits on jobs, but how can you know what specific priorities your management team wants you to address? Two words: Ask them!Read more »
SOLIDWORKS World Session Videos Available on Demand
General sessions, interviews with keynote speakers, and more sessions from SOLIDWORKS World 2019 are streaming live this week and being posted online for on-demand viewing. The annual conference for SOLIDWORKS users is being held February 10–13 in Dallas, Texas.
Herrera on Hardware: Intel's Optane Comes to CAD Workstations — for a Price
It's not cheap yet, but Optane technology improves performance on several fronts, especially for high-demand storage solutions. Read more »
VR for Enterprise Has Arrived, Says NVIDIA — Part 2
IBI Group is among the early adopters exploring how the Holodeck VR platform can help AEC professionals with design presentation and development. Read more »
VR for Enterprise Has Arrived, Says NVIDIA — Part 1
According to the developer of the Holodeck virtual reality platform, there's no longer any doubt about whether VR is viable for professional applications, including review of CAD models. Read more »
For Mold Designers! Cadalyst has an area of our site focused on technologies and resources specific to the mold design professional. Sponsored by Siemens NX. Visit the Equipped Mold Designer here!
For Architects! Cadalyst has an area of our site focused on technologies and resources specific to the building design professional. Sponsored by HP. Visit the Equipped Architect here!
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