A couple more ideas about working you Core areas of CAD Management.
5. Change is to be embraced and managed, not avoided.
Average CAD Managers see change as annoying, a duty and demanded by others. It appears to be complicated and threatening to some, something to be endured only when a firm is in desperate shape. They may not even realize that they are dragging their feet and slowing down the firm. Firms that are laggards get left behind. It may not happen right away, but it happens. Average CAD Managers become part of that slowdown or may even cause it.
Extraordinary CAD Managers see change as an inevitable and positive part of CAD. In an ever-changing technology based career, change not only means the tools you use, but also the methods you employ. Changing tools but keeping old habits will undercut the value of any upgrades you make. When change happens or is caused to happen by the CAD Manager, they also review their policy and procedures at the same time.
Embracing change means that you plan for it and make it happen. CAD Managers are change agents and should be looking for ways to move their firms forward. Small or large moves – it does not matter – they just keep things moving.
6. CAD Technology offers empowerment, and enables design.
Average CAD Managers run CAD like IT. I have nothing against IT, it is just that CAD should not be run exactly like IT. When IT provides services, the general bottom line is uptime, uniformity and managed services. While these are not bad, they may be inappropriate for CAD environments. IT’s job is mostly done when the systems are up, stable and running. If the CAD Manager takes this perspective and does not provide services after the install, then CAD chaos soon arrives. Users are left to themselves and struggle through troubles on their own. Uptime and uniformity matter, but flexibility, innovation and training are crucial.
Extraordinary CAD Managers know that their job is to make others more productive and help get the software to do what the designer wants. They see CAD technology as a way to free designers to be creative and work to get the software to be easier to use. While embracing the best of IT methods and practices, they move beyond to provide project level services to individuals, teams and the entire firm.
The last post introduced this topic and I continue with my outline of what might make an Extraordinary CAD Manager as they work on their Core.
3. CAD Managers serve others, not control them.
Average CAD Managers want users to do just what they are told and they squelch creativity. I am not talking about individuals moving away from the company standard toward creative CAD Standards, I am speaking of creative new ways to approach a problem in CAD. They take suggestions as challenges to their authority and end up creating an environment that has everyone worried about not doing it their way (as opposed to the best way).
Extraordinary CAD Managers provide a target and allow users to define how they get there. They provide a CAD Standard that does not tie the hands of innovation, nor provide no guidance on what is to be achieved. It is a balance of goals with specific methods only when needed. It tells them what to do but not how to do it. It is a destination to achieve, not a road map to drive. Their perspective is that they provide the resources for the end users to get their job done, not constrict them with an overabundance of rules.
4. People are Pivotal to Progress
Average CAD Managers use people to get things done. They tell them exactly what must be done and how to do it, one step at a time. They parse out information as if it should be horded like water in the desert. They do not empower people and actually hamper CAD efforts by not investing in the most valuable commodity a company has – the people.
Extraordinary CAD Managers know that energized employees work harder and get more done. They encourage learning and give workers that tools they need. They create self-service environments where all resources are open to every CAD user. They restrict access only after abuse and push as many decisions down to the workers as they can. They don’t second guess a bad choice, but seek to debrief and advise on improvements for the future.
As those that workout know, the Core is the center of the body that drives every other area. It is that band of muscles that encircles your mid section from just below your shoulder blades to your hips. Many think that working the Core will deliver the best exercise routine as it is mixed with other workouts. I am not a workout expert (other than knowing how to avoid doing them), but know that any time this core area is ignored, it affects every area of the body.
For a CAD Manager, the core is the central perspectives and beliefs that drive them to action. The Core motivates, outlines, circumscribes, defines and restricts every decision, action and outcome that they are involved in. Get the Core right and you get more done, motive more people (including yourself), inspire and encourage others. Get it wrong and you may cripple your CAD efforts, derail you decision making and tangle your team into knots.
CAD Managers that have worked on the core know that it separates them from the crowd. They have moved from Good to Better, then to Best and often to Extraordinary. They seem to have the best perspectives on approaching problems, making things happen and getting things done. This all starts from some deeply held stances that influence every day of their work life.
Here is the beginnings of a list of Core items that set a CAD Manager on a path to being Extraordinary.
1. The workplace should be a positive environment, not a battlefield.
Average CAD Managers see CAD Management as a collection of job functions that need to be completed on a daily basis. They go through the paces and get things done, but there is no spark that ignites their fire for long periods of time. They are meeting the job description, but not moving past it. They have settled into a routine and they like it. It works, it is easy and it meets the requirements. When someone challenges their turf, they stall, argue, deflect or delay.
Extraordinary CAD Managers see CAD Management as a career to continually grow into. Each day brings another opportunity to learn and expand their knowledge about CAD software, processes, enhancements and structures. They go beyond the job description and actually expand it. They do not settle for less that their best, at all times. They work hard to make the workplace better. They do not look to others to make it a better place, they do it themselves. They avoid conflict and seek to make teams work better.
2. Constant improvement is a way of life
Average CAD Managers survive on past innovation and occasional improvements. They seem to settle into ruts of production processes that never change. They cling to past ways of doing things even when software upgrades make them obsolete. They are not looking for innovation and actually will struggle slightly against others who seem to want to innovate.
Extraordinary CAD Managers constantly look for ways to improve on all areas of CAD production. They sift through ideas of others. Gather input from just about anyone. They keep their eyes open and think about what might not be working best. When they spot a problem they do not complain – they fix. When they hit a roadblock, they figure out a way around it. When they are challenged by others that do not want to make things better but want to keep the status quo, they seek ways to convince them to move forward. They do not settle for good enough.
Much hoopla always surrounds the release of new software from Autodesk. It is touted as having new features, new functions, new fixes and more. With the new software comes greater focus on Autodesk products. As such, the stock price advances.
I wanted to compare the most highly spoken of stock in recent months to Autodesk (ADSK – their stock symbol) and that would be Apple (AAPL). As I write this Apple edged over $600 per share again and ADSK is a little over $42. That would tell that tale that most people look at. Apple is more valuable than Autodesk. I won’t fight that fight, but…
ADSK vs AAPL over the last 6 months has been a dead heat. Over the last 6 months ADSK has risen 49.71% and AAPL has risen 50.54%. That is a virtual dead heat. (I know that Apple has outpaced most stocks over the last year and a half, but go with me a little)
If you shrink this down to that last 5 days, ADSK has outpaced AAPL by rising 2.33% to AAPL’s 0.98%
Stocks are funny things and the fickle nature of the market can drain away advances faster than you can say Tech Bubble, but the point of this post is to encourage you to see that the stock market rewards good companies. Sure there are momentum stocks that rise faster because everyone is piling on, but the best companies usually sustain stock growth. The best companies usually have superior products.
If you had invested $1000 in ADSK stock 6 months ago, you would have about $1500 today. If you have put the same amount into Apple, you would have about the same return.
I recall a conversation I had in passing with Buzz Kross (Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Division at Autodesk) at AU 2011 in early December of 2011. The stock price was just under $30 per share and he made a comment that “it’s a $40 stock”. He was right and today it is breaking thru $40 and may be on the rise to a new 52 week high.
I am traveling to San Francisco for the Autodesk Media Summit event. Today is a travel day and the event takes place tomorrow and Wednesday morning.
We will hear from Carl Bass, Autodesk CEO and other executives. We will get a sneak peek and technical briefing on Autodesk products, interact with the development teams and see how some customers are using Autodesk Suites in their line of work.
I will be posting on the event and Tweeting (@caddmanager) as the days progresses.
Stay tuned to hear what Autodesk has coming in the near future.
Once again Cyon Research is working on a deep market survey of users. This is a follow up of the survey they did last year. The survey is designed to provide software and hardware vendors and their channel a better understanding of where market opportunities lie, and to identify which customers to pay attention to.
Do you want your voice to impact the marketplace – take the survey. It closes at the end of the month.
It will take about 15 minutes or a little more and asks questions related to software use, upgrade paths, timing of upgrades, budgeting for purchases and more. Give them your name at the end and they will send you results.
Take the survey on the state of software use from Cyon Research – http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Active
We were discussing situation and influences on our decision making processes. One that I have not brought up yet is the cost of getting it wrong. I always get in the wrong line at the grocery store. I try to get it right, but always seem to pick the wrong line that ends up taking longer to get through.
Decisions, and getting them right, can be effected by the impact of getting it wrong. Bigger decisions can cause people to become skittish in making a decision. This can delay action and cause even more impact that making a bad call.
Small decisions are easier to make – everyone would agree with that. Quick decisions on a day-to-day basis are part of a CAD Managers job. They need to make a choice and get things moving. It becomes almost second nature to them. Many have learned from good and bad decisions what it takes to move quickly and make a good choice.
But when the decisions get bigger, the choices get tougher to make. Get it right and you will see everyone else get happy and you will look great. Everyone can join in and reap the benefits of a good decision. Get it wrong and your stand alone. You will take the blame. You will be impacted the most.
So you can see that when the impact of a decision grows in scope, it gets harder to actually define the direction to move. You freeze with indecision and shiver at the thought of making the wrong call.
The weight of making a bad decision can stall even the best decision makers.
Here is one thing that I can suggest you keep in mind when the impact of your decision starts looming in your mind.
Do not let the impact of past decisions that went sour influence your current decision process. In other words, don’t let a negative yesterday impact moving to a better tomorrow.
Research has been done that took into account a series of decision. The decisions were structured so that the outcome provided a negative impact even when the decision was sound. It was a good choice gone badly. The persons in the test group were give the option to switch a decision after it was made based on the immediate outcome of the decision even when the data supported it as a good choice. The test groups switched based on impact not on sound judgment. They took into account the short-term outcome and switched decisions when the option was given.
The Grocery Line
Think of it like selecting a line to join at the checkout stands in the grocery store. I always seem to pick the wrong one. I look ahead and guess which line will move quicker based on number of items in the shopping cart, the amount of kids someone may have with them, the mobility of the persons in front of me, the type of items and quantity of each. I make my choice and then the person in front of me need three item price checks and my line slows to a crawl.
The problem is that the grocery store has retained an outdated method of checking people out that has not changed since the five and dime stores of the 1920’s. The reason is that most shoppers want to feel like they are making an impact even though statistically they have very little to bear on changing their chances of choosing the right line.
It is explained in this easy to understand video – “Why the other line is likely to move faster”
http://youtu.be/F5Ri_HhziI0
So as the video points out, the best lines are made up like Old Navy or others that use a single queue to feed multiple registers. It also explains why the other lines seem to move faster.
Back to my point…
Don’t let the impact of a decision weigh so heavily on your mind that you freeze up.
Your gathering style may impact your decisions. The way information is gathered can impact the decisions that need to be made. It is not just the information that you end up with that matters. It may also be the way it was brought together.
Some may allow quantity overshadows quality. They think that more information on one perspective outweighs less information. They search and find that the amount of ideas, options, agreements and people rallying around one particular perspective. They think that this overwhelming avalanche of data makes it the obvious choice. It might be, but it also might be that so many people may be wrong.
One reason more info may not mean stronger alignment is that there may be an imbalance of relevance. The information is not germane to the question. There is a lot of chatter, but not all of it might apply to your environment. If it is CAD related, are the voices speaking about the version you have? If not – does it really apply?
Bad use of information may include our tendency to process easier information first. A bullet list is processed faster than a narrative. A chart is more easily understood than a long description. Harder data may not be used because it is harder to digest. When this happens we may fail to look deep enough to get counterpoints and actually bias our perspectives.
Another is who said what. Where does the information originate? What is the level of expertise of the provider of this data? You need to know if the posting is unbiased, has no hidden agenda or influence on what they might provide. You need to know if the person or organization is respected in the industry. You need to know what might be effecting the presentation of the data. Someone speaking outside of his or her area of experience may not carry as much weight as an industry insider.
So think about how you go about finding input and make sure it is balanced.
Bear with me as I develop my hypothesis…
Over the course of human history we gradually moved from nomadic tribes of people who moved around because their food sources changed into stayed put and nurtured food at stationary location. We moved from hunters who followed the migrational movement of animals or the seasonal changes in fruits and vegetables, to the farmers who domesticated livestock and planted crops for food.
Jump ahead a bazillion internet years to now and we may have reversed that direction as we no longer develop our own information but gather it from all over the planet. First hand research has been replaced by third person knowledge of Wikipedia (I use it a lot).
This move has sped up the process of gathering information (Hunting) and reduced the general process of processing through it all on our own (Farming). Gone are the days of needing to know how to do first person research because you can just find something on the internet that appears to be authoritative. I no longer need to think and ponder the data I have because someone out there in the ether has already done it and posted it. A quick Google search and voilà – I have it.
Far be it from me the think through how this really applies to my individual situation – I have data. No need to wonder how this can effect my personal outcome – I have “facts”. No need to selectively see what impact this might have on my decision – someone has already made a conclusion. All I need to do is act on it.
Farmers have to plant, nurture, protect, ward off pests, mature and harvest their crops prior to eating them. Hunters just kill and eat.
In the information age – Hunters are raiding the Farmers property. They swoop in and take what the farmers have created. They reap where they have not sown.
Understand that I am not against this – it us just an observation. I hunt and I farm. I develop and I borrow. I create and I use what others have created.
Hunting is good and Farming is good.
The reason I go through all of this is that any decision involves both. You have to hunt up the information, data, perspectives and conclusions that others have provided and then you have to domesticate it (a farming process) so that it fits your needs.
The way this would look is that you would gather your information which is the hunting part, then move to the farming part where you categorize it, sift it, organize it, put it into groupings, define levels of importance to it, come to preliminary conclusions, prioritize the conclusions and then decide.
Hunters who kill and eat are those that find some drop of information that justifies their predetermined perspective and then jump to a decision without taking a little time to “farm” what they have found. Farmers who limit their input to only what they have thought of and look with disdain at the information, perspectives and conclusions that can be hunted or gathered up are limiting their decision making scope.
You need to be a little of both.
Loading ...