Critical Conversations about CAD

When things happen in CAD that need to be addressed and discussed, there is always a good and a bad time to have the conversation surrounding the situation.  There are violations of CAD Standards, shoddy work, flawed processes, off track procedures and so much more that can derail a good CAD project.

How do you get these things back in line?  Who and when do you talk to people about it?  Does the PM need to know?  Can you insert yourself in the CAD flow and talk to those doing the design work?  Is what you are bringing up going to knock the project off its timeline?  Is it really that big a deal?

Over the next few post I will look at these and more items centered around when you might have what I call Critical Conversations about CAD.  As I do, I will suggest why, when and how and also provide a framework for words to use and escalation steps – when to take it to a higher level.

First let’s discuss why you should be having critical conversations about CAD.

• It is your job as CAD or BIM Managers to stick your nose in.  Your world revolves around CAD process, quality and productivity.  These three can make or break a firms ability to convey a design to others who have to approve, price, and build what your team has conceived.  Here is a post from way back about sticking your nose in ^[9].
• Members of the CAD production team may not want to discuss CAD issues.  They may be unwilling to have these kinds of conversations.  Items that can impact your firm negatively can be overlooked, missed, avoided, swept under the rug, passed on from one person to the  next, not corrected when uncovered or inadvertently left behind in files.  They may think that you are trying to point the finger of blame at them.
• Leadership may not see them.  Not many program managers or project managers are hands on with CAD or BIM since they have larger roles to play.  This arms length association with the file and model production may allow unseen items to creep in to the work flow and product.
• You do not want the client pointing them out.  If a problem file makes it to a client and they uncover the issue, this could have a major negative reflection on your firm.  They could be thinking, “If they cannot get the CAD files right, what else do they not have right?”  If the critical CAD conversations are happening between your client and your leadership, the impact will cascade down to you and the team.

So since other may not see the problems or be motivated to discuss them, I think it is incumbent upon the CAD or BIM Manager to speak up.

Next post…  What might trigger a critical conversation?