CAD Standards

To this day, company “A” is still trying to fix years of legacy data and outdated software issues. They are still in business. However, they are not running up to their full potential. Rework and cleanup are still haunting them.

A Better Road

Company “B” started about the same time as company “A”; however, their management took the mindset to set up a plan to ensure success for many years.

They also took the mindset that their plan is a living process. When the hybrid working environment set in, they considered the impact of having key personnel off-site. Arrangements were set up to keep key groups in contact and monitor their productivity.

A core issue for both companies, “A” and “B”, would be documentation quality and consistency.

Company “B” sees the long-term value in quality documentation. They put in place functional procedures to ensure their success. The plan they implemented included the following concepts.

A workable IT network was established, being secure and user-friendly simultaneously. The CAD manager had the blessing and support of upper management in the efforts to set up corporatewide design protocols and teaching plans for all AutoCAD operators. He worked with the IT manager to establish a maintainable yet secure data storage and version control system. Thus allowing AutoCAD users easily access necessary data, increasing efficiency.

Standard protocol was established to maintain software versioning and installations. All CAD users would have the same setup throughout the company. Also, the CAD manager was authorized to easily maintain AutoCAD on everyone’s system, pushing updates as necessary without burdening the IT manager.

As the CAD manager for company “B” was able to maintain and tune the AutoCAD design process efficiently, the company grew, and their product designs are now industry-leading. Their market share has dramatically increased while keeping the ROI high, all while retaining valued employees.

Conclusion

The forethought by company “B” enabled them to handle the operational environment disruption with minimal issues. Planning now for the environment that may be a reality in the future kept them constantly improving. The stagnation of company “A”’s mindset was their ultimate trouble. While they survived, new product development was plagued with quality and consistent supporting documentation.

My current employer designs Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and test machines. I have worked with AutoCAD software for forty years, starting on version 1.4. Having been with my current employer for almost sixteen years and CAD manager by the necessity for at least ten, I have seen their culture change many times in attempts to improve processes and become more efficient. CAD standards have become a high-profile topic recently. I am excited to share my process of implementing a user-friendly system of CAD standards with others.