AU2011 Preview – Working with Multiple Generations

I am presenting on how multiple generations of workers is impacting the workforce.   When working through the data I came up with some conclusion.

Five Keys of Understanding the Generations

•  Traditionalists (WW2 generation) and Baby Boomers are as likely as Millennials to be technology contributors. Enhancing and clarifying the old – producing and creating the new
• Baby Boomers and Generation Xers look for a work life/home life balance, while Millennials see work as “part of life.”
• Millennials and Generation X place a high importance on working for a company that develops both their career and life skills
• Millennials are likely to select an employer based on the ability to access the latest tools and technologies at work
• Both Traditionalists and Baby Boomers place high importance on a manager who understands age diversity in the workplace.

One of my classes is on CAD Momentum.  It is about making things happen by capitalizing on the energy and momentum of change.

Here are some of my thoughts…

The Enemies of Momentum.  The people and comments below can be killers of your progress.  You can hear people saying these things and it will cause things to stall or even fail.

• Complacency – people who don’t care say…
• We are fine
• We don’t need to change
• Self-Protection – people who are protecting their turf or process or function
• My way is working good
• Your way won’t work
• Defiance – those who are refusing to change
• You can’t make me change
• Pessimism – those who think you will fail or don’t trust you planning
• This won’t work
• What if we fail?

One of the things that I think we may have lost is knowing what you are actually depicting.  In the days when the draftsperson had to interact with the Architects, Engineers and Designers they learned what they were actually trying to depict in the finished product.  They would show pictures, sketch images and actually take team members out to the field or factory to see what was being built.

Many have said both on this blog and others that BIM and the newer 3D software actually brings back the true interaction or knowing what was being designed because you have to “build it” in 3D.  While this is true and I embrace this, I am focused on the personal interaction of the designer working with the drafter to get them to see what they were drawing in their minds so that they could then transfer that to paper.

Today I see a little less interaction between most designers and those that are working under them.  Sometimes the drafter is left to their own to figure it out.  And if they can’t, they are looked down upon.  Many complain about the lack of drafters understanding of what they are creating, but if those who complain are not willing to discuss, share and improve the understanding of those they are working with – then they are part of the problem.

I would encourage those that create design form nothing, from the mixing of construction materials, form the raw metals of fabrication to get back in touch with teaching.

Craftsmen who work in trades bring new members along.  They mentor them. They encourage them to understand. They take time to work with others who need a little assistance.  We need to encourage our senior staff to mentor the junior staff. We need to be creating opportunities for interaction.  And when those teachable moments are created or just happen.  Slow down and share what you know with the next person coming up the ladder.

Think before you draw.

Hand drafting took a long time.  It caused you to think before you actually set information to paper.  Thinking is good.  In today’s fast paced CAD and BIM markets, the software moves quicker than some people think.

Moving from one sheet to another caused you to give pause and think “Am I done?”.  Since you had to remove the vellum or mylar or whatever from the drafting board, you stopped and thought about your next step.  Do I want to commit to removing this file now?  You can say that it is easier now to call up a drawing that when needed when you realize you need to add something.  But that is a break in the flow of thought.  Stopping and starting jars the thought patterns and derails creative and detail oriented thought.  Deep thought in a unified direction is better. I am sure that you have seen disjointed CAD files because they were created piecemeal.

Starting a new sheet was a daunting task, again causing you to pause.  Do I have enough info to get started?  Drafting has always been an iterative process, but the iterations were much longer.  When you had to add a sheet to a set, you use to first see where the data you were adding might fit on an existing sheet.  Not as often now.  Just click “NEW” and start drawing.

I use to be a Technical Illustrator.  It was a moonlighting job that I worked at night.  Boy that is going back a ways.  I would work all night long on one or two sheets, creating technical documents to show assemblies and systems in exploded views.  It was tedious and took some planning to figure out how to get down on paper what the graphics were trying to convey.

It was a thinking process.  I cannot tell you how many times I have heard some designer say that he wished the drafter would just think about what they are drawing.  It used to be forced upon us.  Now it is becoming a lost art.

We need to retain the ability to put together a set of Plans

I mentioned this before so this is an expansion on that comment.  You should be thinking about how a set of plans are used and then group them for maximum efficiency and clarity.  The entire set should tell a story that starts off with the overall story and then gets in the details as you march to the back of the set.  Think smaller scale to larger scale as you zoom in from the overall plot plans to the minute construction details.

Keep it as simple as possible.  Do not duplicate information on more than one sheet.  Avoid multiple callouts of the same thing.  Avoid over dimensioning and duplicate dimensioning form one sheet to another.  Avoid adding superfluous detail that is not needed to communicate what you are trying to show.  Sections should not extend beyond the area of focus.  Data beyond a match line should not extend too far.  Use enlarged plans only if there is too much data to display effectively on the standard plan.  Reduce the replication of other disciplines information on your disciplines drawings.

Putting together a set of plans first includes defining what drawings come before others.  Getting things is the right order is critical.  In general, it follows the flow of trades on the construction site or processes in a manufacturing flow.

Here is a typical order for the building design process.  This may change from industry/building type, etc.

General Drawing Set Order

• Titles and general information sheets
• Civil
• Landscape
• Architectural
• Structural
• Mechanical
• Fire Protection
• Plumbing
• Electrical
• ID
• Interiors / furniture layout
• Equipment Schedules
• Signage / Wayfinding
• Security

Here is an expansion of the Architectural bullet above that will show what might be done in other disciplines also.

• General sheets and notes (cover sheet, drawing index, project description, governing codes, architect and consultant addresses)
• Code analysis, exiting
• Overall and enlarged site plans
• Demolition – Existing conditions
• Floor plans
• Reflected ceiling plans
• Roof plans
• Exterior elevations
• Building sections, wall sections
• Enlarged room plans, enlarged toilet room plans, enlarged circulation drawings (stairs, escalators, lifts, etc.)
• Interior elevations
• Schedules (door, window, finish)
• Details

Do you have other ideas on the order?  Comments?

As some have commented, there may not be a need to learn hand lettering, mechanical pencil manipulation or how to use a protractor, but there are some things that I think were matured during the hand drafting and document preparation days that should not be forgotten.

Here is what I think should not be lost.  The things that should be passed from one generation to the next. The items that make for great sets of drawings.  These may be the things that the software may not be able to do at this time and may not do the best job of in the future.

Here is the start of my list.

Seeing and Thinking in 3D

When looking at a 2D drawing or sketch your mind needs to see it in 3D.  There may be no greater gift that the old 2D world of interacting with the 3D of design can pass on than the ability to think in 3D.  It is the ability to look at a two dimensional representation of a 3D object and actually picture it in your mind in 3D.

Some can seem to do it naturally. They just look at a sketch or drawing and see the built design in their mind.  Others may never get the knack.  I have been in front of clients, who are not use to seeing a whole lot of 2D representations, who cannot seem to get it.

The reason I think that drafting assists in this process is that the original designer had to translate their 3D idea into the 2D world.  They were forced to flatten it out into 2D and the observer was forced to fold it back up into 3D.

You may say that this ability is no longer needed when we can easily just show them a 3D image and spin it around.  I agree that this new ability is assisting with those who cannot see in 3D.  But there are plenty of times when all you have is a sheet of paper and a pencil in your attempts to convince a client or owner of your design ideas.  While seeing 2D thru a 3D eye is not as critical as it used to be, it is still needed, even if it is only to orientate the person in the three dimensional world that we are growing into.

More to come…

All of this hands-on method of drafting may soon (or already) be a thing of the past.  All of the methods that assisted in the proper training and development of the designers mind may be slipping away due to no longer needing them in today’s high tech world of advanced tools.  This small section of knowledge that enhances the ability of a designer in conveying the idea from inside their head onto 2D paper (or 3D screen) so that others can understand may be fleeting away.

Who needs to know how plans are put together?  No one’s job is dependent any longer on their ability to print well.  No one is hired or fired on their ability to draw a straight line of a given length.  No one is advancing up the ladder by getting better at not smudging those parts of the drawing that are already done.

What jobs are impacted by is the ability to convey your ideas to others.  When you boil it down to the basics, it is the generation of new and clever ideas, better ways to get something done, improvements on functionality or aesthetics coupled with the ability to convince others that it will work, be better, save money, last longer or improve society.

How do we do that?  It is done first by drawing and moving on to drafting.  It may be a sketch on a napkin or a grand animation.  It is the effort to convey or represent something that does not exist via an illustration.  Drawing is usually seen as a freehand effort using minimal tools to leave a mark on a medium (think pencil on paper).  Drafting is a more stringent effort. Wikipedia defines it as “Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or is to be constructed.”

Notice that is uses the term “discipline”.  I like that because it is a more disciplined effort than just drawing.  Drafting involves the use of agreed upon symbols, markings, notations, abbreviations and more.  These shared modes of communication are understood and standardized by industries.  Think what it would be like if an electrical drafter decided to not use the typical symbols to define electrical outlets and just created something. No one would understand it.  If a mechanical drafter decided to use some creative welding symbology to call out a weld that the field would not understand.  So we see that standard enter in to the drafting efforts.  Drawing is used to convey feeling, expression and allow for differing interpretations by those viewing it.  Drafting is a discipline that strives for one definition or meaning and understanding to be shared by every viewer.

Every person who wants to convey an idea to another via the use of illustrations needs to understanding drafting methods and requirements.  Every person who needs to ensure that their idea is being constructed or manufactured correctly needs to understand drafting processes and procedures.

Who needs a broader understanding of drafting?  Not just those that draft, but every person along the entire stream of transferring an idea into reality. Every job along that line will be enhanced by a better understanding of drafting.  Every person who does not fully understand and therefore does not pass the baton to the next person will detract and hamper the entire process.

Some may say that 3D makes drafting obsolete – I say it does not – at least not yet. This is because any time a design is reduced to 2D plans and prints, you need to understand the markings, annotations, indications and keynotes that are in place to aid in understanding.

We all need to understand and embrace the methods, tools and processes of drafting that make sense going forward into a new 3D world.

My biggest fear in bringing this topic us is to be thought of as a curmudgeon, a Luddite or an old school voice crying over the bygone days.  I am not – but first a little history lesson.

The Luddites were a social movement that advocated the destruction of the mechanized looms that were revolutionizing the 19th century textile industry in England.  Their concern was that the automated looms could be operated by unskilled labor and would result in the loss of their jobs.  Many of these machine looms were destroyed until the British government stepped in and made it specifically illegal to destroy them.  During this short movement, many died over the desire to protect or destroy this sentinel of industrialization.  Many were imprisoned and some were executed or shipped off to Australia.

So please – don’t think of me as a Luddite.  I am far from it.  I embrace technology and change.  I drive change into the industry I serve.  I press forward at every step and drag those along that are laggards.  I discuss, cajole, defend, explain, expound and energize change in organizations.

The reason I bring this all up is that I fear that the lessons learned and the perspectives gained and the culture generated by past experiences can have profound positive effects on the changes taking place.  If we fail to carry along the wisdom and passion that was developed by the legions of past designers and drafters then we risk having to learn these lessons over again.

I am not advocating a return to the drafting boards.  I do not want to destroy computers or software tools.  I embrace the new crop of 3D tools and strive to expand their impact on the entire design and build process.  So as I speak of the methods, tools and processes of the past it is not to embrace them anew or restore the old ways.  It is to learn from them, apply that learning to develop wisdom as we move into the next phase of design communication and tools.

Drafting is a means of communicating design intent and construction requirements/constraints.  It has been used for many years to its fullest and now it can and has been set aside or replaced by something better.  So many means of communication have been displaced by something better.  The telegraph replaced the Pony Express.  Trans-Atlantic wireless communication developed by Marconi replaced sending hardcopy on ships from England to New York.  The TV replaced radio, or rather, enhanced it.  The Internet made communication faster, more egalitarian and open to all.

Today we are nearing the point of total abandonment of drafting and I think it is a good and proper thing, but I do not want to throw out every last vestige of it before we pause to see what we have learned and attempt to  take those best lessons into the new age.

Way back when, when all the drafting functions were done with a mechanical pencil in hand there were many talents that a drafter had to develop in order to make plans readable.  The artistic flavor of their lettering was developed over time.  The twist of a pencil to make consistent line weights was an artistic talent that did not come easily.  The use of splines, templates and triangles to create the exacting angles and curves needed was a learned talent.

Generations of master drafters have marched forward passing on the techniques from one person to another.  Each one taking what was learned from the past and adding their own little flare in the nuanced fonts they created by hand.  Each one was building upon the process of years of manipulating paper and pencil to document the designs to be built.

And it was not all just the scratching of lead on vellum.  It included the wisdom and knowledge of how to communicate what needed to be conveyed.  It was learning and presenting on paper the methodology of plan views, enlarged plans, sections, cross sections, orthographic views, diagrams, schematics and so much more.  It was using the proper combination of what diagram goes with what plan.  It was combining the correct chart to assist a specific view.  On the grandest scale it is which plan comes before others and which sheet preceded the next.  It was the flow of the information in the set. It is how plans reference a detail.  It is how sections support plans.

Are these talents no longer needed?  Have you seen sets of plans put together that make little or no sense?  Do you see contractors making extensive change orders and generating overwhelming levels of RFI’s because the plans are not clear, or do not match or the references are wrong?

Let me know if you have seen these things happening…

The Art of Drafting – are we losing it?  or is it already gone…