CAD Manager's Newsletter (#171)
24 Apr, 2007 By: Robert GreenWhich CAD Tool Is Right for You, Part 2? Examine the potential of new CAD tools for your company -- and be fearless. In the April 11 issue of CAD Manager’s Newsletter, I began the discussion of evaluating CAD tools based on company needs and I described an example to drive home the concept. If you haven’t had a chance to read that issue, I recommend you do so now because this issue will take up where we left off. Here goes. The Opposite Problem In the last issue I cited a case that I called “Overkill” in which a company that was operating at peak productivity switched from AutoCAD to a very expensive mechanical solution that yielded no gain in productivity. This overkill example illustrates a phenomenon I like to call “feature lust”, in which a company simply buys newer and more expensive software based on a list of features that it didn’t fully evaluate. This time I’ll describe a polar opposite case in which a company stuck to old software because it was comfortable, turning its back on new technology tools that could have radically improved productivity. New Tool Avoidance A regional architectural company I worked with last year was having great success in marketing nearly standard small buildings for strip malls, convenience stores and freestanding doctors' offices. This company was still using AutoCAD in very much the same way I remember using it in the late 1980s and saw no reason to change their processes to embrace new tools like Autodesk’s Building Systems or Revit (which the company had looked at). The company’s logic was that it had always used AutoCAD, its CAD people knew AutoCAD and they just didn’t see the justification for investing in anything new. Read more>> How can I avoid the burned-out feeling I get in my job some days? It’s as though I answer the same questions day after day and never seem to get anywhere? Robert Green replies: I think everyone in any type of computer support job has this same feeling from time to time, so don’t get discouraged. This is a normal part of providing user support. First, to stop feeling burned out, you need to shake things up a little. For instance, if you’re getting a lot of questions about a particular subject, do a lunch-and-learn session and try to answer the questions in a public forum. I find that I feel less burned out when I tackle a problem head-on and address its root cause instead of continuing to bear it. Read more>> Submit your questions to Robert Green atrgreen@greenconsulting.com. NC Software Market Report Available Send us the address of your favorite Web site or other resource and a few words about why you like it. If we publish it, we'll send you a Cadalyst t-shirt! E-maileditors@cadalyst.com. Avatech's Autodesk 2008 Rollout Events Rhino User Meeting for Architects ESRI Survey & Engineering GIS Summit 2nd International Conference on Rapid Manufacturing Click here to view the complete calendar of events at Cadalyst.com. Come On, People! Where Will CAD Be In 50 Years? New MCAD Discussion Forum Live Online CAD Manager (Column): Your Workplace Action Plan Implemented Cadalyst Daily Update
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