New Position? -
Hit the Ground Running
Most
companies now expect new employees to hit the ground
running. CAD Users are expected to know the software and
get up to speed on the company standard quickly.
CAD
Managers are also expected to make an impact quickly. If
you are recently promoted to CAD Manager, hired into a new firm
or just happen to become the CAD Manager without the title,
there are a few things you can keep in mind as you decide where
to start and what to do next.
Here
are the top ten things I think every new CAD Manager should
do. It is understood that you were offered the position
because there is a need for someone to make things better.
Within
the first 100 days:
1.
Review the CAD Standard to see if it is still up to date.
Most firms create it and forget it. You should make some
well needed changes that are appropriate.
2.
Get a complete list of CAD software licenses and make sure that
you are totally legal in your seat count.
3.
Have a conversation with all of the management level people you
can about what they think you need to do.
4.
Shoot for a quick success. Get involved with a project
that needs help. Iron out a tough spot in production.
Look for the pain points that are not that difficult to fix.
Make adjustments and get small wins.
5.
Spend some money quick. This will let you know if the company
is behind you. "Show me the money" works to
display the companies confidence in your leadership
ability. Make sure that is is money well spent and a small
amount. Make is a wise choice to show that you can handle
bigger amounts.
6.
Have private conversations with all of your staff (if you have
any) or with the key CAD Users in the firm. Get input and
goals and ideas. Find out what is working and what is not.
7.
Don't wait for permission to change something small. This
will test your authority level in the company. Make it
large enough to make an impact but not so large that you get get
major pushback if you overstep your bounds.
8.
Take note of what people complain about. Fix whatever you
can. Take notes on what people want related to software
and hardware. See if you can purchase some of the small
tools that they need.
9. Compliment
whenever you can. Don't just think that anything that was
there before you came is wrong. Look around and listen as
other explain how things work and let them know that they made
correct choices. Give them credit for the successes of the
past.
10.
Focus on plotting - get it perfect. There is no better
place to make major points than to work the kinks out of
plotting.
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