Overview

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Stages of progress 

For users and management, change may seem counterproductive, so be careful or it will end before it truly begins. So, you've landed a CAD Admin role. You're full of new employee energy and excited to make things better for everyone. Perhaps you have a long history of what works and what doesn't. Perhaps you have a jump drive full of innovative things to implement. Be very careful. Too many changes may cause enough friction to end your journey early 

Assessment 

Take time to examine the entire environment. User hardware, server hardware, network, software versions, licensing, CAD Standards, CAD Resources, etc. Make notes about all of it. This is how they have been working for years before you arrived. This is what ever used to. Change may feel right, but how does it affect everyone's workflow? Where are the CAD Standards written down? Where are users getting blocks for their drawings? Are there any new drawing templates? What layers are used per discipline? Don't get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of issues. That's why you are here. This includes polling the end users. Find out what their pain points are. They will be excited that someone is interested and asking. Concentrate on what holds them back. What keeps them from making deadlines? What takes them the most time? 

Recommendation 

Now that you understand the overall working environment, start building a plan to fix individual things. One root change may lead to others, but it also must not break everything along the way. Review these recommendations with management, IT, and whomever may have a stake in the changes. 

Plan 

Figure out how to attack each problem. Does IT need to be involved? Does management need to be involved? Which tasks are just you? Knowing which changes require others will help prioritize the short wins. Make an Excel to track various indicators. Have regular meetings with stakeholders (people with a direct interest in your changes). Organize items by severity 

Action 

It's finally time to take action. Start with low hanging fruit which doesn't affect anything else. These can be some good short wins. It will boost user confidence that you might know what you're doing and have it all organized and under control 

User Documents 

Now that there are new ways to do things, write it down. Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint, etc. Whatever method you like best but make sure everything is written down so that users can find it and follow it. Written instructions, similar to written standards, are enforceable. 

Train 

Don't forget to train users about how to do any new method or task. People can read, but understanding comes with live demonstration. Don't be afraid to record MS Teams sessions for future new employees or refresher 

CAD Admin Documents 

If you're not available for whatever reason, who else knows how it all works? Exactly, write it all down. Unless it's your company you are guaranteed to be there forever, don't gatekeep how it all works. You don't have to make that information public to all employees. It's for the next CAD Admin to understand what you've done. We each do things differently, so it helps the next person know where to begin making sense of it. The next CAD Admin may even thank you 

Now what? 

So, you've spent months or even years fixing every known issue and the drafters/designers are now a well-oiled machine. No one complains and work is done on time (or sooner). Pat yourself on the back. Well done! But, now what? 

This is the time when management doesn't feel there is anything left for you to do, and they might be right. It's now all about general maintenance. Future hardware updates? Future software updates? Ongoing license management? Perhaps a custom LISP routine which does some massively complicated combination of steps that could further help designers/drafters? Those things could keep you employed for a while longer. 

However, take pride in a job well done. Savor the moment but consider doing it again for someone else. Perhaps make arrangement with your current company to consult when there is a problem. Do this for a few companies and you'll evolve from being a CAD Admin to becoming a CAD Consultant.