Seven Ways to Solidify a New CAD Manager Position

In October of 2005 I ran an article in CMJ called “New CAD Manager Position? - Hit the Ground Running”.  I looked at some bullet points for new CAD Managers to take into account in the first 100 days in the position.  I wanted to revisit this topic and take a longer look at it. 

I talk with many new CAD Managers who have taken many roads to get to the position.  Some have developed internally and have grown into the role.  Some have been hired in as a veteran from other firms.  Some are now pulling this duty without the title.  But all of them have one thing in common.  They want to solidify the position and make strides of advancement.

You need to start getting things done through others.

Here are seven tips for first time CAD Managers:

1. Take the time to listen to others.

Listening is a lost art.  Get good at it.  Learn to ask the right questions.  Open ended questions that help others respond.  Don’t ask “Is the software working?”  This is a closed ended question.  Ask “What do you wish worked better in the software?”  This allows someone to comment about their perspective on how well it is working.  It lets them complain (and we all like to do that). 

Now listen to what they say and write it down.  I have a running journal of items that people have mentioned to me.  In fact when I first started as a manager I interviewed just about everyone I could get time with.  I asked them what worked, what didn’t work, what they wished they could do, and what they wish they didn’t have to do.  I wrote down the answers and kept the notes.  I refer to the often and still work down the list to address their needs.

I do this because I want them to know that I am working to make them more productive and focused on design, not CAD.  CAD is my job not theirs.  The more I can get them back to thinking about design, the more productive they become.

Notice that I put listening first, not action.  The steps to success are not to come in and blow away all the previous work that others have done.  Unless the place is falling apart, you want to build on the successes of the past.  Look for them.  They are there.  Even in the worst CAD environment there are a few gold nuggets that you can refine into the jewelry of success.

2. Change from Super User to Manager. 

You got here by being a CAD Hot Shot.  But those days are behind you.  I am not saying that you should no longer capitalize on your CAD ability.  You always need to keep pace with the best of them.  But your job now is to manage technology more than you use it.  You need to manage people and workflow more.  Your successfulness will come from your managerial skills. 

Managing Technology

Work on getting your environment tuned up.  It may need just a few little tweaks or a major overhaul.  But focus on managing the process, not doing the hands on efforts.  You may have to get your hands dirty if you are the soul provider, but if you have a team to help, then empower them to get things done.

Managing People

This is the area that most new CAD Managers need to work on most.  Managing people does not come natural to a lot of us.  If you need some tips, here you go…

• Keep the conversations flowing to upper management.  Tell them what you plan on doing, get their input, and report back when you are done.

• Observe those who may be working under you to determine if they have sufficient knowledge, skill and motivation to complete the task.

• Write up a monthly status report and e-mail it to your boss.

• Find out what users need most from the system and go about fixing the problems and expanding on the workhorse tools.

• Keep your best users close and your worst users closer.  See my blog on this topic at “Your Best User” and “Your Worst User”
   

3. Identify the CAD department's goals and determine the resources needed to achieve them.  Now take some action.

Take the time to get to know your environment and what it takes to make it better.  Take the time to plan out your changes.  Run the plan by others to get input.  Refer to the plan often and start talking it up.  People should know where you are going and how you are going to get there.  Do not hide your efforts.  Make them public.

Gather your user together and start making small changes.  Make adjustments that will provide quick returns.  Maybe roll out some LISP routines that plug holes or allow for greater productivity.  Make larger more sweeping changes only after you have some successes under your belt.

4. Do a little expectation management.

Peoples perceptions of your ability are always filtered through their expectations.  Everyone has a vague idea of what you should be doing and how long it will take.  These ideas may not be based in reality so it is your job to realign them to the real world of CAD. 

Set clear expectations, understood by you, management and the users.  Make sure everyone knows what it takes to fix your problems and what the timeline is for getting it done.  Make sure you don’t whine and complain about having too much to do.  You are getting paid to take care of this stuff.  It is your job, but you need to verify that everyone knows what can be reasonably achieved and in what time frame.

5. Prepare to being caught unprepared.

This may sound like the impossible but you can really prepare for what may come along.  You do this by setting down the principles that make up the arena you work in.  One of my principles is that I will not Monday morning quarterback a decision that was made in the heat of a submittal when I am not around.  This allows people to make command decision when they need to.  I may need to come in and coach on how to recover from a decision that violates the CAD Standards, but getting the job out the door is still job number one (another principle of mine).

Take time to think about the general principles that you operate under.  You have more than you think.  When you figure out what they are – write them down.  It will help you remember why you “love” CAD Management.  Your perspective drives the reality you are trying to create.  It is imperative that you develop a CAD philosophy and approach so that you can build the guidelines of CAD use for your firm.

6. Look for repeatable patterns of non-productivity and eliminate them.

You most likely have already been doing this for some time.  Since you have been promoted or hired in as the person who has the pulse of CAD productivity, this should be something you are sensitive to already.

Look for patterns that show up in all areas of CAD.  It may be plotting or CAD file setup or Xrefing.  The patterns appear when you see something that should be easy to do taking way too long and failing too often.  Spend the time it takes to dig into the problem and see if you can automate it, fix it or eliminate it.  What appear to be small steps can add up to large time savings.

7. Don’t share too much about what you did at your former company and don't do it too fast.

I have heard a lot of stories about what was done at other firms.  This can grind on the people at your new firm.  Keep your feelers out for when it is appropriate to share what you have done in the past and how much better it was.  The firm hired you because of your experience, but they do not want to hear about how perfect the other firm was or is.  Focus on getting the point across that you know of a better way, but don’t continue to harp on “the good old days”.

Also measure out what you share.  Don't come in with your guns out and start shooting holes in the existing situation.  You don't know who may have a stake in the existing setup.  Wait until you know who the player are and their feelings of ownership before you start changing what they may think is fine.