planning your cad future – robert green, robert green consulting group
TRANSCRIPT
Getting the most from your software ecosystem
requires modern tools, great hardware, solid processes and well trained users.
How can I plan and build the
ecosystem my CAD users need?
What should I be worried about?
Let’s talk about these key items
Licensing policy changes from Autodesk
Hardware technology
Work process optimization
Quality work products
Training program integration
Each requires planning/budgeting …
Licensing Policy ChangesHow will you deal with Autodesk’s changes
in how software is purchased?
Perpetual + maintenance
Buy it once, keep it forever
Must be on maintenance plan
No maintenance – frozen at current version
AutoCAD - $4195 + $545/year …
Perpetual + maintenance
Single license perpetuals ceased 1/31/2016
Suite license perpetuals cease 7/31/2016
The time to buy is NOW!
Current perpetuals should be maintained …
Desktop subscription (rental)
Annual/quarterly/monthly rental fee
Stop rental - software stops working
AutoCAD - $1680/year
Best for temporary requirements …
Cost comparison example
Perpetual vs Rental
Cost comparison
Single license manager
Delivery mechanisms
ROI computation …
There are major financial consequences at stake
when considering perpetual vs. rental and you
only have a few more months to plan!
Hardware TechnologyWhat should you specify?
Expensive engineers, architects and designers
use old computers to save money?
What’s wrong with this picture?
Cheap and powerful …
Processors
Quad-Core Xeon or i7
Bigger cache is better
Support for fastest RAM speeds
Highest clock rate you can afford …
Cheap and powerful …
RAM
DDR4 technology emerging
Use 4 cores in most circumstances
At highest clock speed you can afford
At least 16GB (2D) or 32GB (3D) for CAD
All slots with same modules …
Cheap and powerful …
Solid State Discs (SSD’s)
New NVMe M.2 technology (4X speed)
500GB configured as boot device
Don’t make processor wait on the disc …
Conventional drive with 32GB Ready Boost
Cheap and powerful …
Graphics
On board graphics for casual 3D
1-2 GB PCIe board for modelling
4+ GB PCIe board for high-res rendering
Unlike other components you can upgrade later …
Prevent obsolescence …
Buy more machine than you need today
Get the right processor
With plenty of RAM
Do not skip the SSD!
You can skimp on graphics to save today …
Return on investment (ROI) …
What does an engineering hour cost?
How many hours could a fast machine save?
How many hours in 3 years?
A $2500 machine is actually cheap!
Do the math in your plan …
ROI calculation …
Engineering hour - $65
New machine - $2500
Time saved – 1 hour per week (144 in 3 years)
144 hours = $9360 (144*$65)
3 Year ROI = $9360/$2500 = 374%
Payback = 9.6 months …
Hardware and disc systems are so much faster
and cheaper now than ever before - there’s simply
no reason to have slow workstations.
Work ProcessesHow can you optimize them?
We implement expensive hardware and software yet
simply hope users will utilize it well.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Tools ≠ Results But great tools used WITH
great processes do!
An Example: Failure
Lotus Riverside Complex
Shanghai
June 27, 2009
Modern tools, modern
techniques, good old fashioned
failure!
Do modern tools guarantee great
results?
An Example: Success
The Sphinx and Great Pyramid
Giza, Egypt
c. 2540 BC
Primitive tools, unknown
construction techniques,
enduring quality!
Do limited tools deter great
results?
Pyramids in CAD/BIM
Who knows what they’d have designed?
What do software tools do then?
Software can accelerate design
Software allows faster project completion
Only if:
The project is well managed
Software usage is defined
Users are well trained …
Piloting ProjectsProve new work processes and tools
with pilot project testing (in a proving ground).
The Pilot Project Planning List
Identify test pilots
Identify test projects
Identify proof of concept
Identify project timelines
Define grading rubric …
Pilot Project Results
New software identified
New processes tested
Key training points identified
Sample project generated
Confidence factor high …
Getting great results doesn’t just happen. Only
by planning, testing and tweaking your software
environment will you arrive at optimal processes.
Are you planning to increase quality?
If you aren’t you should be! Why?
What Defines Quality from a CAD Standpoint?
Lets discuss – shout out your ideas.
The things I hear most …
Standards
Blocks/families/parts
Dimensions/text/details
File formats
Tools (Revit/Inventor/AutoCAD)
Filing procedures
Note the technicality …
What I wish I heard more …
Smooth project execution
Lowered costs
Happy staffers
Happy customers
Happy management
Project flow …
Standards are huge part of achieving quality but
until they are part of a smooth working process
standards won’t do much for you.
Three words: Plan The Work!
What Quality Tools and Metrics Can We Use?
Here are a few ideas.
What does rework cost your company?
Hint: Time is money!
The costs are staggering …
Reformatting drawings
Finding missed interferences
Inefficient interdepartmental handoffs
Not meeting client requirements
What else …
Want management to enable change
in your CAD environment?
Make rework a major focus of your discussions!
Achieving Process Control
(W. Edwards) Deming Theory
Deming’s theory:
“If you can’t describe what
you’re doing as a process then
you don’t know what you’re
doing.”
The Deming Cycle: Constant Improvement
Basic Deming in action …
Know what people do
Check that they do it right
Act when they deviate
Plan corrective action
Repeat …
“You can have it fast or you can have it good.”
What would Deming say about this?
Want to plan for an ideal CAD environment?
Plan on making a Deming/Quality process part of
your CAD workflow.
Your Training ProgramHow to integrate it into your business
We know what our best practices should be but we
“just don’t have the time” to train people.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Plan Your Training
Key planning points for training …
Software feature training
Sub it out to your reseller
Train only what’s required
Custom training on standards
Create your own syllabus
Conduct internally
Do not skip training …
Train Your Plan
Key execution points for training …
Keep it brief but continuous
Short sessions work best
Focus on methods not features
The goal is to work better
More productivity - less rework
Make training pay for itself …
Showing people the right way to work via
contextual training is the only way to make
standard processes work.
That’s a lot to consider!
So you better have a plan.
Do the planning and you WILL succeed …
Keep asking questions and planning …
… and things will keep getting better.
