CAD Management can be a lonely job. Didn’t I already say that? So if it is so lonely, we don’t need to be making enemies in the process. CAD Managers sometimes appear to act in such a way that no one can be their friends.
They walk around with a chip on their shoulder, like everyone is out to get them and they will not let anyone take them down. It may seem like people are out to get you, but you should not act in such a way that they actually are repulsed by your actions.
This could happen if you take too strong a stance when enforcing the CAD Standards and guidelines. If you are too aggressive, then people become afraid of you. If they “fear” you, then they stop talking to you. If they stop talking, then you will have a harder time discovering the deviations from the standard.
You need to take a stance that is strong, but not repulsive. Determined but not detrimental to the free flow of information. Smile when you correct people. Speak gently but firmly. Talk to others about “stuff” other than CAD. Chat about your weekend. Discuss the latest movies, news, weather,whatever.
Just make sure you are multidimensional to everyone so that people will feel comfortable talking with you.
CAD Management can be a lonely job. It can set you apart from others because you are management. You are not one of the end users. You are part of the management team in your firm. This separates you from some of the users.
Some of the tasks actually force you apart from others. You have to enforce the Standards and prevent people from deviating from the norm. This does not engender friends at times.
When I review the job description of the CAD Manager I do not find “making friends” on the list. This does not mean that you purposely go out of your way to insult or deride others. Or stomp around looking for a fight.
What it does mean is that your purpose is to manage the CAD environment, not to make everyone like you. But let me say that managing is such a way that most, if not all, of the users and other managers end up liking you is the way to go.
You do this by making the hard decisions and having critical conversations at the right time. You don’t duck out on tough issues, but you don’t act harshly. You keep your cool and your wits about you. You speak directly when needed and graciously at all times. You are gentle in your corrections but firm in your resolve. You draw the line when needed, but grant waivers to get the job out the door.
Your focus is to refine the processes of CAD for productivity, efficiency and collaboration.
So while you are not here to make friends, making friends along the way is the smartest way to do that.
There has been swirl of information recently in the circles I run in about the concern for those of us that use Riverbed devices for WAN acceleration. The firm I am with has heavily invested in Riverbeds. We use them in all of our offices. Many other firms use them also. Many are looking at purchasing the devices.
So the news that has come out about Autodesk adding compression technology to the 2007 DWG format comes with some hesitant concern. This is because the Riverbed devices have difficulty working with the new format.
Riverbed uses several methods of acceleration to increase virtual throughput of files.
From their website: “With our award-winning data reduction, WAN optimization, and application-level latency optimizations, along with remote office file and management functionality, Riverbed provides a comprehensive solution for enterprises looking to simplify IT, consolidate infrastructure, and accelerate their applications. In addition to offering the best performing solution available, Riverbed delivers the single solution that scales across the broadest range of applications and network topologies.”
This was all working great – but along came 2007 DWG.
Neither Riverbed nor Autodesk is to blame for this issue. They each have their development wings that work to increase the functionality of their platforms. What is a concern is that they did not work together on this issue – until now.
“Potential for reduced write performance for Riverbed WAN links when working with AutoCAD 2007 DWG file” from Autodesk and from Riverbed
For those that are not using Riverbeds, the file compression is most likely a good thing. It would mean that Autodesk has actually helped make the files smaller. Which is a good thing.
Here are a few links that have some additional info on the problem and workaround.
Riverbed customers cry foul over AutoCAD incompatibility – (skip the ads)
Riverbed and DWG 2007 file format workaround
Stay tuned…
Tags: WAN optimization, AutoCAD, DWG, AutoCAD 2007, AutoCAD 2008, Riverbed, Compression
Having just moved to a AutoCAD Architecture 2008, I have joined the ranks of those who have troubles with the 2007 DWG format.
The first one is that UCSFOLLOW gets reset to “0” every time we open a DWG file. This apparently has been going on for a while and is still not fixed. Here are a few threads that might help address this problem if it effects you.
2007 resets UCSFOLLOW to 0 – AutoCAD Forums
AutoCAD LT 2007 set UCSFOLLOW to 1 permanently – AUGI Forums
CAD Forum – How to switch off UCSFOLLOW in all viewports of all…
ucsfollow help needed. – AutoCAD Forums
Saving changes to system variables
No – this is not the name of a law firm. It is a method of negotiating that I constantly put into practice.
You may have been successful in your efforts and have gotten a compromise or completed a negotiation in one meeting. I have found that it often takes multiple meetings, conversations, emails, phone calls and more. I have to talk to multiple people before I can get a final answer or approval. When this happens, I tend to do it little by little. Small success, strung together to equal one large agreement.
It may be a series of conversations with the same person. Each time we talk I make a little progress. I go for small concessions and agreements that move toward the ultimate goal. By doing this it allows others to slowly get their arms around the concepts and ideas.
Trying to seal the deal in one marathon bargaining session seldom works. It is the slow methodical progression toward a deal that works best in most business situations. People do not like to be surprised and then asked for agreement. Usually they like to think about things. So you need to allow them to do that.
It may mean that you have to cover old ground again or remind them that they already agreed to do such and such. Sometimes they may take something off the table that you thought you had agreement on. This is all part of the process of negotiations. It is a give and take. You are looking for both parties to come away feeling good about the outcome.
Let other people get on board with you – one step at a time.
When you decide that something needs to be negotiated, then you need to make sure that you are actually talking to the right person. The one that can make the final call.
When you talk to the right person, then a decision can be reached and progress can be made. There have been times when I thought I was talking to the right person just to find out later that I needed someone else’s approval. This was frustrating because I had to start the whole process over again with the new person.
When you start negotiating an outcome, you need to first ask if you are talking to the right people. It should not be offending to others if you ask correctly. Try this… “Is there anyone else that should be involved in this conversation?”.
There is no guarantee that the other person will actually let you know of everyone that should be involved. There is a strong possibility that the person may not know, or that they think they are the bottom line. So you cannot cut off the conversation, you just need to continue and ask the same question again later.
Try this… “So if we agree with this decision, I can move ahead under your authority?” This places a large amount to stress on someone who is not sure they are the bottom line, or that is not letting you know they are not. Continue with “If you are sure that your authority covers this area, then I can move forward as soon as we are done”.
There will probably be some hedging of authority in the skittish, but confidence from the real decision making person. When the skittishness shows up, ask again if there is “possibly” someone else that you “may” need to check with.
Flinching – which includes an audible or visual reaction to an offer.
This tip may work in the initial phases of negotiating. It is something that you want to use, but not over use. When used well, it can make some people back away from their initial stance.
It may be a slight tilt of the head to one side and a puzzled look as if you are trying hard to figure out how they could have come up with the proposal. It may be a low, calm, brief chuckle. It may be a boisterous “What?”. But it will be visual or audible so that the other person hears it or sees it.
It is a subtle way of saying “no way”. It is a reaction to the offer that displays your non-acceptance of the offer.
What does this mean to the CAD Manager?
It means that you may use very slight indications of rejection of peoples proposals to setting the standard aside. You may act “taken aback” by someones attempt to step around your authority. You may grumble a little before you reaffirm your stance on quality and compliance with company guidelines. You may blend it with an exaggerated, humorous tone to the words or actions to take the edge off.
By using some visual aids, you may be able to gain a little edge in the constant negotiations you have to do at work.
Many times I have tried to get something approved just to hear a negative answer. This use to depress me because I thought it was the end of my efforts. Shut down again…
But I soon learned that “No” may just be an opening negotiating stance. Most times when people say “no” it is just an initial reaction to something they think will fail, or that it is just “change” that they don’t want to adapt too. “No” means that they are “initially” against whatever you are proposing, but maybe not the final answer. Getting around the “No” is the next step.
I use to work under someone that said “No” to just about everything that I brought up. He was not my direct Manager so thankfully I did not have to go to him with all of my requests. But when he was the bottom line approver on some issues, I had to deal with him. I learned that his initial “no” was not always the final answer. I learned that I could keep negotiating toward an approval.
Here are some practical tips for getting around the initial “no”:
1. Ask a few clarifying questions and get back to the issue later. Don’t be tempted to back away, stop talking or get mad.
2. Agree with the areas that they may be correct on, but don’t concede the fight. This is a process that includes stepping aside so that you can come at the problem from a different angle.
3. Regroup and rethink. Do you really need what was refused? If so – take up the topic again at another time. Believe me, wearing someone down does work. Don’t be annoying, just persistent.
4. Run through the consequences of their “no”. Make sure they understand the outcome of not approving your request. Don’t over-inflate the impact, just the facts.
5. Strive toward a compromised outcome where both parties can come out with something. If the other person thinks they are doing all of the giving, they will be more inclined to stick with the “no”.
A long time ago, I took a course on negotiating to improve my skills. It was an audio course that covered a lot of topics related to negotiating just about anything. I have used these skills over the years in many ways. Buying cars, negotiating on my house, even buying things at local yard sales and flea markets (swap meets).
I have also used these skills in my job. Negotiating is crucial to getting things done. It is a needed skill for everyone and especially for someone who plans and moves projects along. I will be covering some of these topics in the next few blog posts.
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