January 2008 – Another Year Begins
Well the new year is well underway and looking back over the last few years brings me to some reflections.
I started the caddmanager.com online life back in April of 2004. It started as a website, then spun off a blog in December of 2004. I started an email journal in September of 2004 that now has almost 1000 subscribers. Since that time over 500,000 page hits have passed. It might not seem like much compared to some of the big boys, but it amazes me that over half a million clicks have hit my site.
Moving the site to a WordPress site this past month was a large undertaking for me. I am still working on getting all of the content to the place where I want it.
This month – a perspective on your gambling habits and some decisions making advice.
Mark W. Kiker, Editor
Click here to see the current issue or go straight to the articles below…
Articles
Betting the Farm – What are you betting on?
When working in Revit you often have to work with other models that people provide or you have to share yours with others. How do you possibly line up the models when they are just floating in space?
Revit Architecture projects have coordinates for all the elements. Those coordinates are stored in the project only. You need to share those with others who may be using your model. Others need to share their locations with you. This is done through the Share Coordinates function under Tools.
This will work for RVT and DWG files.
If you have the file that is used as the main coordinates – you publish your coords. If you are linking a file from others that are defining the location you Acquire their coords.
NOTE:
You should define the shared coordinates from only one file. That one file defines the coordinates for all shared files in a project. Usually everyone Acquires from the Site file.
Tools > Shared Coordinates > Acquire Coordinates
My blog just past the 500,000 page hit mark. A small step for some, a giant leap for me.
Here are my stats from Statcounter…
| Page Loads | Unique Visitors | |||
| Total | 500,205 | 243,929 |
When a CAD Manager starts assaulting a persons character or calling in to question the persons abilities to perform any given CAD function, they may have slipped into an area where they do not really want to be.
We assault someones character when we demean them, point out their flaws in public, deride their inabilities or otherwise point out their shortcoming to them or to others. It does not have to be a blatant outspoken comment either. We do it under our breath and by grumbling about them. Correcting character flaws in our users is not part of our job. If someone has difficulty learning a new tool, it is up to use to figure out how to train them in such a way that they get it. This may include repetition, differing approaches and different methods of communicating.
CAD Managers are always encountering users who “just don’t get it”. This may mean that they cannot understand the software, or forget some of the steps in using the software, or just don’t care to learn. No matter what the reason, we slip when we decide that the root of all problems is bad users. They may truly be one of the reasons that things go bad. There are a lot of users out there that can’t get things done in one or two (or more) areas of the software.
But if you find yourself quickly thinking that someone is inept no matter what the problem may be then you might get caught up in writing off their complaints. In my series on BAD CAD, one of the issues was the User, so I am aware of the difficulties that may arise from the users doing something wrong. That does not mean that all problems come from their bad habits.
Take the time to listen to the problem and if it is related to someones lack of knowledge, then apply yourself to getting them up to speed. Even if you have already done it before, or many times before. Our job as CAD Managers is to work on the problem, which may include working with users who do not catch on. We must avoid complaining about someones inabilities and focus on moving forward.
I am always on the watch for software pirates… shiver me timbers…
Here is a short list from Baseline …
12 Companies Caught Stealing Software in 07
The Business Software Alliance is enforcing fines on real companies. Learn who they are and who has been caught.
I have previously done some extensive writing on BAD CAD – files that fail to work the way you expect. Now I move on the BAD CAD Managers. There are a few out there that are easy to spot. They stick out like a sore thumb and everyone tries to avoid them. But before we hack on the other, let’s think of how we may fall into this category from time to time. Each of us has exhibited BAD CAD Management from time to time…
We all may need a little exercise now that the new year is here and the holiday weight is hanging on. Getting rid of those extra pounds is tough. So is getting rid of some bad habits. One of those is jumping to conclusions.
We jump to a conclusion any time we offer an answer before we have all of the information needed to give a good answer. We jump to conclusions anytime we make a generalized statement based on minimal data.
Here is an example:
Susan leaves a note on your desk as she leaves for lunch telling you that she needs a file restored from backups. Susan “always” messes up files and she has often had troubles that others do not. Just last week she corrupted an entire project by messing up the background files beyond repair. So you decide that you are going to fix these files and then “fix” her. You think – this is a no brainer!. You fixed these troubles several times for others. A few quick adjustments to her system and things will be running smoothly. You go to her machine, make the adjustments, spend about 30 minutes cleaning up the file that she thought needed to be restored and then wait for her to return from lunch so you can “train” her in the proper use of the tools. You pridefully return to your desk to wolf down the left over lasagna from last nights dinner out with the family.
Susan returns and asks about the file… “Did you replace that file I asked about?” You launch into the 27 reasons why files get corrupted and the 35 ways to prevent it. Susan does not get a word in while you “adjust her thinking”. When you finally stop for a breath she mentions that the real reason the file needed to be restored is that the client wants to revert back to a previous design. Restoring the file was the best way to get that design restored.
You have egg on your face and you have most likely insulted Susan – why? Because you jumped to a conclusion that was not true. If you had more data and information, you could have restored that file fairly quick and not “wasted” time working on the wrong thing. We all know that we should avoid jumping to conclusions, but we fall into this trap often.
Take the time to ask some questions before you embark on fixing the problems. A few short questions before you dive in can help you avoid a lengthy effort in the wrong direction. Most of the time the first question should contain the word “WHY”.
Autodesk Educational sites have great resources for students and teachers… some are free…
Here is some information from the Autodesk site that can get you started – if you are a student or teacher…
Higher Education
Advance the design education curriculum in your classroom with innovative teaching and learning resources from Autodesk and free* software for architecture, engineering, and design.
K-12 Education
Autodesk supports schools and educators in the advancement of key areas of science, technology, engineering, and math by making powerful 2D and 3D design software and innovative resources available through our academic solutions and programs.
Students
Experience your design ideas with the powerful visualization, simulation, and analysis capabilities of Autodesk design software, and develop critical skills for career success. To get started, join the Autodesk Student Engineering & Design Community or purchase software at a discounted rate.
* Free software is for personal use for education purposes and is subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software.
When you set up your lunch and learn (lunch hour training) you want to select your topics carefully. There is no point in presenting something that will not be useful or desired by the audience. You also want to be careful not to discuss things that you do not want your users actually doing.
Let’s take the first one – selecting relevant content…
Start by reviewing the questions that most users have. The most questioned areas are prime for a lunch and learn. Whatever patterns you see in the questions raised from the floor, just bring them all together under one lunch hour topic. You can also keep an eye out for the things thattroubles that most users encounter. If there is a string of XREF troubles, put together a refresher on XREFS.
Now – what not to teach…
If you are having your vendor or reseller come in for L&L, then coach them on areas that you do not want covered. If your firm is not using Sheet Sets, then avoid the topic. If you are not generating schedules in ADT, then do not train in that tool.
You may want to have some demo style exposure to these tools if you are still investigating the use of them, but avoid in-depth instruction in a tool that you have not selected as part of your standards.
Limit the number of times you train on advanced tools, or limit the exposure to a smaller group. Not everyone needs to know how to manipulate families in Revit or develop Dynamic Blocks.
So – the next time you set down to think about Lunch and Learn topics – take a brief moment to think about what you may want to present.
Tags: Training
From the Bentley website…
Instructor-led distance learning helps your users get training conveniently, easily, and with little disruption of their daily work routine.
- Live instruction and collaboration
- Train single users, host training for a group, or simultaneously train users from multiple offices
- Reduce time spent away from your projects
- Requires no travel
Distance learning courses are delivered over the Web by product experts, providing personal interaction and feedback while users learn in their home or office. Users in multiple locations interact in a virtual classroom and get live feedback from the instructor.
eSeminars
Bentley provides a full range of eSeminars, bringing you the latest technology and the most valuable information for your projects
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