What’s in Your Plan?
This is the best place to start because if your plan doesn’t take the right issues into account, you’ll forever play catch up. The answer should be: “Everything pertaining to the care and feeding of your CAD ecosystem.” While you may not be responsible for every item on this list at present, you should, at minimum, be concerned with these items:
-
Software usage and licensing,
-
Hardware specification and purchasing,
-
Standards and IT policy,
-
Training,
-
Ongoing support,
-
Budgeting, and
-
Cost reduction and optimization.
If you’ve ever tried to explain to someone why CAD management is such a tough job, just show them this list! There’s a lot to worry about.
So, like any big problem, let’s break our plan into manageable chunks and get started by answering some questions in each area and assigning action items as required.
Software Usage and Licensing
Do you know how many licenses you have, if they are fully utilized, and how your needs might change next year? Do your users really need the software they have or could they get by with less expensive tools? If you have too many licenses of one product, can you afford to let their subscriptions lapse at the next renewal date or should you up/cross-grade or change to another product? Could network or remote access licensing allow you to own fewer copies of expensive analytical or rendering software?
Your responses to these questions allow you to truly understand your software needs and costs for at least the next year. It is often surprising how many software licenses companies have that are underutilized, such as having a full BIM suite license for an engineering manager that doesn’t do CAD work, or could be shared amongst many users. Since CAD software is expensive — and is becoming ever more so — it literally pays to understand all the variables and make sure you have the correct software licensing.
Action items:
-
If IT is responsible for licensing, then insist on doing a detailed assessment with them — they’d probably love to have your expertise.
-
If you find ways to save, write it down in an executive summary and report to your boss!
-
If your company is growing, try to forecast future software needs so management knows about upcoming increases in software budgets.
Conclusion.With software becoming so expensive, licensing can be one of the best places to find future savings.
Hardware Specification and Purchasing
Do you have a firm understanding of what workstation configurations you need to run BIM, mechanical modelling, and general CAD? Will you be replacing desktop hardware with more mobile workstations? Do you know which users will need specific graphics processors for new usage scenarios like virtual reality, coordination tools, or video rendering? Are you involved in specifying these parameters or do you live at the mercy of what IT chooses to give you?
Your responses to these questions predict how well your CAD tools will run on your user’s desktops so it is very important to be involved in the configuration phase.
Action items:
-
Create software specific hardware specifications like Desktop BIM user, travelling general CAD user, Desktop rendering user so that each person gets the right machine based on their software and travel profile.
-
Work with IT to hone hardware specifications and source the best deals based on IT’s purchasing policies.
Conclusion:Get involved! If IT buys the wrong hardware you — and your users — will live with those bad decisions for years.
Standards and IT Policy
Are your standards up to date? Do your users know what your standards are? Do your users understand IT policy as it applies to CAD topics like cloud file storage, data loss, and the use of personal electronic devices? Do senior managers support your standards and empower you to enforce them?
Your responses to these questions indicate how well thought out, trained, and supported your standards program is. If you answered no to all these questions you are in deep trouble! If you answered yes to all these questions you are golden. A mixture of yes and no answers indicates some issues that need to be resolved.
Action items:
-
If your standards are in disrepair, update them.
-
Be sure that IT standards protect CAD files from security threats.
-
If you’re not training users on your standards, you must begin to do so.
-
If your management doesn’t support you in your standards quest, then make them understand why they must.
-
Read my article: Back-to-Basics Boot Camp — CAD Standards for more detailed strategies.
Conclusion.Standards are the only thing protecting you — and your company — from chaos, so make sure everyone understands that standards are a priority.
.png?upscale=true&width=1200&upscale=true&name=CAD%20Managers%20Newsletter%20(1).png)
.jpg?upscale=true&width=600&upscale=true&name=CAD%20Manager%20Chronicles%20(300%20%C3%97%20250%20px).jpg)
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!
