- Seven Functions of a CAD Manager
- CAD Manager as Planner
- CAD Manager as Organizer
- CAD Manager as Leader
- CAD Manager as Coordinator
- CAD Manager as Controller
- CAD Manager as Controller – Performance of People
- CAD Manager as Controller – Performance of Technology
- CAD Manager as Controller – Systems and Standards
- CAD Manager and Staff
- CAD Manager as Motivator
I have covered a good amount of this with my Strategic Planning posts, but there is also some additional ideas I want to bring forward.
CAD Managers should always be planning. Short term and long term planning. Planning their days and weeks and months. Mapping out what they need to do today,tomorrow and next week. No one is thinking more about CAD than the CAD Manager and they should be thinking and planning more than anyone.
CAD Managers make plans that are detailed enough to create actions, but not overly detailed as to take up too much time in the planning phase. Do not get bogged down over planning everything. Plan enough so that everyone (or just you if you are doing something alone) can see and think about what will happen and what might happen.
Plan on planning. Even if you think you know exactly what to do. Stop and think about what you are going to do. Do you need to gather information, tools, software, etc. Rather than run all over the place when you are half way through a project, think about it before hand.
Plan for the best. Making your plans with the best ideas you can come up with is great. If you have been down the road you will be better at knowing what might be expected. If you have not done planning in an area you are called on to provide leadership, get some input from others.
Prep for the worst. Make sure you think through a few “what if” scenarios. You know that everything will not go as planned. Take a little time to think of a backup plan and a way to back out if things end up not working. Planning for how to get back to a previous state will enable you to move confidently forward.
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