Planning an Implementation
Too often, I think, implementing new or updated software tends to be a painful, tedious task; it doesn’t need to be. I live by the Golden Rule of CAD Management: Keep It Simple. While Alpha and Beta testing is undoubtedly important, and equally as important as usability testing, there is a tendency to overlook the most vital part of the implementation equation – the end user, and he/she may be a new hire unfamiliar with the ways of your firm.
I believe in customization, but to a point. Too often software is customized to the point of being almost unrecognizable to the common user. In my mind, Civil 3D is simply a tool. In that light, irregardless of where we work, our tools should work the same.
The goal of the CAD or IT Manager needs to be to provide end users with a software solution that truly adds a kick to productivity. Custom routines are important, anything that boosts productivity is important. Old customizations must obviously continue to work when software is updated (unless a basic AutoCAD function can do the same). But too often the three most important considerations of an implementation strategy are overlooked: the Culture of the firm; the Processes used to create construction documents; and the Technology driving the team.
Culture
Users have various backgrounds. Some have been with the firm a long time, while others are relatively new. When rolling out new/updated software, all users need to be addressed. While long-time employees may understand the “Way We’ve Always Done It,” new hires may struggle if basic AutoCAD functionality has been compromised. If customization of the software happened more transparently, new employees could use the tools learned in school while conforming to office standards. In the case of Civil3D, layers, labels, styles, and fonts are transparent to the task at hand, and require little user interaction; effectively, CAD Standards can be built into the software.
Users have various backgrounds. Some have been with the firm a long time, while others are relatively new. When rolling out new/updated software, all users need to be addressed. While long-time employees may understand the “Way We’ve Always Done It,” new hires may struggle if basic AutoCAD functionality has been compromised. If customization of the software happened more transparently, new employees could use the tools learned in school while conforming to office standards. In the case of Civil3D, layers, labels, styles, and fonts are transparent to the task at hand, and require little user interaction; effectively, CAD Standards can be built into the software.
Process
Most firms have a tried and true process for creating construction documents and working through design problems. By teaching Civil 3D tools to your team, you’ll up the ante in terms of performance and productivity. If the out of the box look and feel of the software is kept in tact, custom routines are scaled back so as not to disturb basic AutoCAD functionality, and if new Civil 3D tools were used to repeat common procedures, you would notice an increase in productivity from new as well as seasoned users. It won’t take new users quite so long to ‘catch on’ and power users could be assigned more tasks. If a seasoned veteran retires, or leaves the firm, his or her shoes could be filled quickly with limited interruptions to productivity.
Most firms have a tried and true process for creating construction documents and working through design problems. By teaching Civil 3D tools to your team, you’ll up the ante in terms of performance and productivity. If the out of the box look and feel of the software is kept in tact, custom routines are scaled back so as not to disturb basic AutoCAD functionality, and if new Civil 3D tools were used to repeat common procedures, you would notice an increase in productivity from new as well as seasoned users. It won’t take new users quite so long to ‘catch on’ and power users could be assigned more tasks. If a seasoned veteran retires, or leaves the firm, his or her shoes could be filled quickly with limited interruptions to productivity.
Technology
Simplify. In the old days, AutoCAD’s out-of-the-box support files were woefully inadequate. We had to tweak many of the support files to create a usable AutoCAD system. Processors were slow, video cards were weak; we needed to tweak the software to live up to our standards of speed and productivity. That’s no longer the case. AutoCAD 13 is dead, the mouse is many times faster than the digitizer, processors and video cards have reached remarkable benchmarks. After 20 years of development, AutoCAD’s support files contain fairly complete and sensible settings, so now is the time to consider a simpler approach. Leave the support files alone, upgrade your systems with the latest drivers and service packs. You’ll not only simplify customization work (testing, etc.), but you will avoid disorienting users, many of whom learned AutoCAD with standard menus, layouts, and palettes, on workstations meant to handle a sizable data load.
Simplify. In the old days, AutoCAD’s out-of-the-box support files were woefully inadequate. We had to tweak many of the support files to create a usable AutoCAD system. Processors were slow, video cards were weak; we needed to tweak the software to live up to our standards of speed and productivity. That’s no longer the case. AutoCAD 13 is dead, the mouse is many times faster than the digitizer, processors and video cards have reached remarkable benchmarks. After 20 years of development, AutoCAD’s support files contain fairly complete and sensible settings, so now is the time to consider a simpler approach. Leave the support files alone, upgrade your systems with the latest drivers and service packs. You’ll not only simplify customization work (testing, etc.), but you will avoid disorienting users, many of whom learned AutoCAD with standard menus, layouts, and palettes, on workstations meant to handle a sizable data load.
Rather than edit standard AutoCAD files, create office-specific, or location specific, versions. Rather than write routines or scripts to send drawings to specific devices in specific ways, build custom drawing templates (.dwt). Rather than create macros, or lisp routines to import blocks on a specific layer in a specific way, put blocks and details on Tool Palettes and store the palettes centrally to share amongst users.
A Final Thought
New users have a difficult time learning office-specific customizations, and new hires are inevitable. Instead of throwing the CAD Standards Manual at a new hire on his/her first day, show them the Civil 3D Tutorials and give them a couple days to work through them. Then challenge them with a simple project with well defined goals. If you’ve simplified your installations, left the support files alone, and considered the environment you’re creating for your team, your players will reach productivity goals much sooner. In the end you’ll foster the growth of a designer who has learned to grow with the software as the software matures. And as the line between Designer and Drafter becomes blurred, you’ll be poised to move ahead.
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