Another repost from BLAUGI in 2006… still good to review.
Mark
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Here are some tips for getting the most out of the Exhibit Floor at Autodesk University (or any other event where there are vendors booths).
Look at the exhibitors list – it is posted on the AU site here (now a dead link). It has a complete list of vendors that will be in the exhibit hall. Print it out and mark the ones you want to visit in the first round. Now mark another set for the second round. Now mark up a third round. Prioritize then in that order. When you go to the hall, if you make it through all of the first round – move the second – then the third. You should make several passes through the hall and then make vendor visits. We will discuss both.
Get a show floor map – mark the vendors that you want to see. Highlight the names and locations. Make sure that you visit them first.
First Pass – Walk – Don’t Talk. Scope out the whole venue. Make a quick walk through of the whole show floor. Do not talk to any vendors yet. The purpose of this trip is to get the lay of the land, find out where the vendors are that you want to visit and mark up the floor show map to remind you where they are located.
Second Pass – Walk and Grab. This is not to talk to vendors yet. This is to get the freebies out of your system. Take as many free things as you want. For you and for the kids back home. Pick up pens, swag, flotsam, jetsam, whatever. Take a big bag. Fill it to the brim. Get it done early cause the stuff may not be around later. Dedicate yourself to getting it all and getting done. Sign up for all the raffles, drawings, contest and whatever is out there. Done? good… now get down to business.
Walking the Hall – Round One Visits – Walk and Talk. Okay, did you get all the free stuff you could possibly want? Whew, now that that is out of our system, get down to business. All subsequent wondering of the hall is for the purpose of getting information to help you get your job done better. Get out the map and visit your first level vendors. Talk to them about your concerns, issues and problems. Ask about software tools, upgrades, patches, etc. Take the time to see new releases. Talk to vendors and get names, contact info and exchange business cards. Make sure you ask to see anyone that you may know by name, but have not seen face to face.
Walking the Hall – Round Two Visits – Walk and Talk more - go to your round two vendors. Do the same as you did for the round one vendors.
Walking the Hall – Round Three Visits – Walk and Talk again – go to your round three vendors. Do the same as you did for the round one vendors.
Wondering the Hall – Random Contacts – Now go to anything that looks interesting. Move outside you sweet spot. Talk to vendors of products that you do not use and haven’t even thought about. Talk to vendors that you have decided not ti buy from in the past. Their products may be quite different now. Now would also be the time to go back to the vendors that you really want to talk to again.
Debrief – back in your room. Go through everything you picked up. Discard the stuff that you did not really want but were to polite to refuse. Don’t pack it for the return flight or drive. Put it in the trash.
I posted these on BLAUGI (the AUGI blog) way back in 2006, but they still apply today. If you are heading to AU, here are some suggestions.
Mark
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I have been to a few of these events and have some advice for those who may be going the first time and for those who want to get a little more out of the event.
Dress casual – business casual at best – you may also see some very sloppy dressers – Whatever you usually wear to work will be fine, unless you wear a tie – lose the tie.
Dress comfortable – these will be very long days – you may be walking a lot.
Bring plenty of business cards – pass them out – exchange them with others – give them to vendors
Take a lot of notes – Don’t expect to remember anything – by the end of the week your head will explode.
Talk to as many people as you can – Fellow users, vendors, teachers, Autodesk employees, etc. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to strangers. Fell free to join others at a lunch table. Never eat alone and never stay silent if someone is sitting next to you.
Get the Handouts – Handouts may be made available for classes. Handouts will be posted on-line after the event also. So if you miss a class or have two that you really want to attend at the same, you can still get the handout.
Be prepared to eat – a lot. Breakfast, Lunch and sometimes dinner is provided in ample portions.
Have Fun – take a break from the event if you need to rest. Get away from the crowd or take a power nap.
Expect to Learn A Lot – This is the best training in a wide variety of topics in a short amount of time.
See you there…
Autodesk has had a YouTube Channel for AutoCAD for some time. You may not have visited it before and I suggest you take some time to see what is there.
You could start off with a few small business testimonies of how CAD technology is empowering the firms to make some really cool stuff. Check out these short video interviews that share the tools and output. Some are really impressive. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3FE8B8A28B25CA4E&feature=view_all. It is always interesting to find out how others are using the tools that you use and what other industries are taking advantage of the technology.
Here are a few others that might be worth checking out.
Robert Green: AutoCAD 2013 Cool New Features
There are quite a few videos on the Channel. Take a look.
From time to time I get requests to post job openings. Some are free and some are paid. This is a paid posting.
Mancini Duffy , an Award winning Architecture & Interior Design firm based in New York City, is seeking a CAD/Desktop Support Manager. Responsibilities are to manage the day-to-day configuration, deployment, standards and training issues required to successfully implement an enterprise-wide adoption of Autodesk Architectural Desktop including new BIM drawing paradigm and increased productivity tools. Monitor CADD and other software application license usage and prepare annual budget for renewals and purchases. In addition, position works closely with IT to provide back-up desktop support, and should be flexible to work on billable projects. Candidate should have experience with AutoCAD 2011 and Revit 2013 support and programming, and desktop support tools. Licensed architect preferred.
For additional information visit our website at: http://www.manciniduffy.com/#/about/careers
To be considered, please email cover letter, resume and salary requirements to: careers@manciniduffy.com
Trial Seven: Change is Bad
When taking on a new position you will have to balance the need to make changes, but not too many. Change must be needed since they offered you the position. Unless they hired you and specifically said not to change anything and to just maintain what was going on, then you have change in front of you.
You can to this position with ideas for change. Fixes are needed. Adjustments are in order. There many be many or just a few, but there are things that need to be reviewed and refined. That is what a CAD Manager does. They look over the landscape to see where the rough spots are and they look for ways to smooth them out.
You may encounter resistance with the big changes and with the small ones.
Symptoms of this Trial:
People will push back when you suggest changes in the workflow and processes that are in place. Big change and little change will cause concern to some folks. Those closest to the production will most likely share your desire to see change. Those that are a step or two away from the front lines may not see the need. They say “Things are working fine, we do not need to upset the apple cart”. And they start pushing back. They may recruit others to their side and seek to squelch any change that you have in mind.
When this Trial comes your way:
Find out who made the existing rules and who benefits or is “loses” from a change. Often those that seek to keep the status quo are those that defined the work methods prior to you coming on board. They made the rules and they think they still should apply. Their project teams are fully versed in the processes and they don’t want any troubles coming from some change that you might suggest.
Once you know who has invested in the existing environment, you may be able to seek their advice or get their input. Ask them to share what they like about the current flow and what they think might need fixing. Move past the comments of “nothing is needed” and look for some small little change that you can make to get the ball rolling. Once you get one small success or improvement, ask them about your ideas. Get them to allow you to adjust another area. Offer it up as a test. If it fails, you can go back to what was done before.
Start small and make little adjustments as you move to prove your value and then move to larger and larger items. Do not change something gigantic, just make a small change and build on the positive that comes from it. You will soon be trusted with more and be able to move from Change is Bad – to Change is Good.
Trial Six: The Blame Game
Ever get blamed for something that you did not do? Ever try to blame a mistake you made on something or someone else?
The challenge for a new CAD Manager may be either one of these, but I want to assume that you are not the time to always try to shift the blame to something other than yourself. Stepping forward when you have miscalculated or failed is part of being responsible and taking responsibility for your actions. That might be another post, but this one is when you get blamed for things you did not do.
Symptoms of this Trial:
You may or may not actually know that this is happening. When someone else tries to shift the blame for some failure onto your shoulders, they may do it when you are not around. The glances from others and the shot replies to questions is a tip off that something is wrong. You may get a specific call from your supervisor about one thing or another and then a negative comment on your work in one area.
Other times the shift may happen right in front of you with comments like, “This was your responsibility” or “you dropped the ball”.
When this Trial comes your way:
Take a deep breath and compose yourself before responding. If the blame shifter has political power in the company you may be in for a long fight. When you respond keep it cordial and clarify the duties and responsibilities that you have and explain how this was not one of them. Quickly turn the negative into a positive with comments like “This was not my area but I can help get us back on track” or “Let’s not start pointing fingers, although this was not my area of oversight, I can offer some suggestions…”
When someone tries to deflect blame on to you it might actually be an opportunity to take on more responsibility and greater impact in the firm. When blame comes your way, offer to take on that area. When someone else messes up, it might be a chance for you to shine. Don’t purposely insult someone in the process, but if the area has been unassigned and you want it – grab it.
Trial Five: A CAD Meltdown
A nuclear meltdown is a term for a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating. Accidental damage can happen in CAD also. A meltdown is when the project gets a major derailing, a critical piece of hardware fails at the most inopportune time, software explodes in your face, files become corrupt or people just do not know how to unravel the chaos they may have created. How a CAD Manager reacts under pressure makes or breaks careers. Get it right and you are the hero. Get it wrong and you are the goat.
Symptoms of this Trial:
As mentioned already, there is some failure that happened in the CAD process that has threatened to derail a project deadline. Everyone turns to you first or maybe they come to you after they have tried everything. Either way, you are expected to perform under pressure. Everyone is looking for you to get this derailed train back on the tracks.
When this Trial comes your way:
You may have been here before, but each event has its own set of challenges. You need to act quickly, but also make the best choices.
First: Stop and think. All others are in some form of panic. Don’t lose your head too. Be methodical and calm.
Second: Address they effects of the trouble. If a server crashed, get access to the data first, then start figuring out how to get the server back up. Restore files to local machines or another location. Get the data back. If a plotter has broken, find access to another one (if you have redundancy). Find an outsourced option if need be. The priority is to get past the initial event and get things running again. If it is a desktop hardware failure, get the user on another machine and back to work. Don’t spend too much time initially on finding the root or cause of the problem, get things moving again quickly. Get people back to work. Alleviate the biggest fear (we can’t get the job done on time)
Third: Find the cause of the problem and get it fixed. Once you have the team back at work, you can then turn to getting the “reactor back online”. Now you can slow down a little to investigate what happened and why. Most times it will be obvious, but other times you may have to search for the cause.
If the fix is quicker than finding the cause, then get the fix in place first. Examples would be corrupted files where data is lost. Sometimes fixing a bad file will be slower that just redrawing the data. Users may not like it, but there are times when they can recreate a file faster than you can resurrect it. Most times they can do it faster and they even improve the file or the design in the process.
Last: Address the long term issues. Let’s say that your plotter keeps going down at the worst times. Address that replacement of a bad piece of hardware close to the time of failure. Memories will be fresh and your budget may get some extra funds.
All in all, if you keep a cool head and can get people back into production quickly, you can avoid the “overheating” that accompanies a meltdown.
Trial Four: The Smartest Guy in the CAD Room – Thinking you know it all
Sometimes a new CAD Manager will think that they know everything that there is to know about the tools they use. This feeling comes from the fact that they are most likely the smartest guy in the CAD room and that is why they got the position. But if they are overconfident, they may soon find out that they do not actual know it all.
Symptoms of this Trial:
Symptoms of this trail are discovered when you are honest with yourself. Do not let your confidence overshadow reality. You need to pay attention to your reactions. Are you surprised when someone else comes up with a good idea? Do you push back when others have a better way of doing things? Do you cut off conversation or avoid certain people because they are bright? Do you feel jealous or angry when users start asking other people questions? You are struggling to stay ahead of every other person in your office on CAD know how
When this Trial comes your way:
Get real. No one knows everything. And if you think you do know it all, someone will upstage you at some point. This is not a failure – it is a reality. The more you take on management functions, the more you may distance yourself from the daily use of the tools you oversee. The trick it to get to know those bright and creative users that find new ways of doing things. Embrace and extend. Take the good ideas and spread them throughout the company. Give credit to the person who came up with the idea and spread them around. Build a team of super users that share their skills. Make sharing the best way of getting ahead.
Trial Three: Ambiguity of your Duties: What am I supposed to do?
Sometimes new managers really do not have a full understanding of what they are to be doing. Most have a good grip on what it took to get them the position, but if they are growing into the spot, they may not see all the functions that need addressing out of the gate. Even tenured CAD Managers have some ambiguity when stepping into a new firm.
Symptoms of this Trial:
Some indications to look for to see if you are suffering from this difficulty is to listen to others. Do you hear things like “I thought that was your job” or “Weren’t you going to do that?” or maybe even “Obviously we expect you to do that”.
Other indicators might not be so obvious. They include the perceptions by others of what you do on a daily or weekly basis. The perception may be nowhere close to reality and you may not hear anyone saying anything. Under their breath or out of earshot questions may rise like “what does he do all day?” or “It seems like she is not doing much”.
When this Trial comes your way:
While not being able to address the unspoken feelings of others, you can address the comments directed toward you. When someone mentions that it is “your job” to do such and such. Either correct them or admit that you will get to it. You could say “ I thought so and so did that. I would love to take on that issue. Can I get started now?”
The best way to address the areas of influence and control that you may or may not know about is to ask your boss. Have a conversation with them and ask then what they expect from you on a daily, weekly basis. Discuss areas that you think might be yours and ask if they are. Mention all areas that you can think of and then ask if there are any more. Let them know what you think your focus should be and get them to validate your thinking or adjust it. Just ask people what they expect.
To avoid the “what does she do all day” issues, be open and demonstrative about what you are doing each day and week. Provide reports on progress, either formal and written or just informal verbal updates to your boss and others. Chat up what you are doing to others without it sounding boastful. Just drop a few here and there in conversations. “Did you see the new plotting process I wrote down and placed on the plotter? Do you think that might help?” “Did you see the email I sent out about folder setup on the server? Have you noticed any of the concerns that I brought up?”
Be mentioning and reminding and also defining up front, you can get a good feel for the things that people recognize as your job and what they expect from you.
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