The CAD Management (a.k.a. The Conductor)
In my AUGIWORLD June 2023 article Engineering Implementation vs. Installation, I talked about how good Engineering is all about good control and I hope you agreed with me, and it provided you with a change in perception and maybe a little revelation. A revelation is that moment of truth that hits you like a freight train and changes your perception of forever. My life and career are littered with them and brought me to this moment, CAD understanding and place in time. Like a Meme; the world lovers Meme, why? Because they can be so many things: humorous, insightful, hard-hitting, and even very ironic, often providing a degree of change of perception. They often hit a chord in our minds and speak the truth to us. Here are two of my most favorites (because one is never enough). One is my own revelation from 2016 and one from the internet and seen by millions no doubt.
Photo credit: The GET SMART television series
There is no evidence that Albert Einstein said this.
When it comes to Engineering Management; and since we are in AUGI Magazine, therefore specific to CAD, then we are naturally talking about CAD Management. This seem to be an endless topic with no real solutions and/or answers (so some believe). One positive is, it should keep us all fully employed and busy until the end of time trying to solve it.
Why is this though? Probably because it is a very complex, technical, diverse, and varied realm of modern humanity. Because we are talking about the documentation creation of EVERYTHING humanity has, is, and will ever create.
Ok, so with these new revelations covered, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of what and/or who is a real CAD Manager. Because, as I talked about in my last article, it is a highly skilled profession without a formal certificate of qualification. It is born out of the ‘School of Hard Knocks’ often perfected by people with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, perfection and someone who thinks ‘outside-the-box’ so to speak.
This is why so many good CAD Managers are often fully functioning autistic, asperges, and/or dyslexic types. Such types often learn quicker through virtual ques rather than the written word. This is evident in so many famous and successful people throughout history and present from Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Tom Cruise, James Cameron etc., the list is endless. Such types are very often more than not, very intense. You can Google it and you will see these patterns for yourself because the universe is built on patterns. From the study of the Atom to the Galaxies and everything in between, a.k.a. Quantum Physics. Engineering physics, math and applied science are no exception to these universal realities.
Ultimately taking all this into account, the professional CAD Manager is very much like the Conductor of an Orchestra. They take all these complexities, technology, systems, staff, and office politics, then attempt to manage it the best they can with only one main goal and purpose: to create those ‘Prefect Set of Plans’ as Eric Deleon refers to in his ‘CAD Manager Confessions’ podcasts. Where Conductor of an Orchestra goal and purpose is to maintain control of all his or her musician’s talents, skills, and their variety of musical instruments to create the perfect harmony, tone, and tempo to create music perfection. They interpret the music score and put their own creative interpretation on it via control. The CAD Manager is there to gain/maintain control over this highly technical and complex process of Engineering and Design and all the documentation it produces.
So, next time you are having trouble dealing with your CAD Manager requests, consider that what appears to be anger and/or aggression is not actually anger and/or aggression at all. It is most likely just their intensity and their passion and desire to get the said project done right, on time and on budget. Everything in life is just a matter of perception. So, a shift in perception can change a situation from negative to positive in a simple shift in your own point-of-view. Because any good CAD Manager should want to help, support and mentor you to achieve a better result and a better career.
Example: What do you see this this piece of artwork?
This artwork image is commonly known as ‘The 9 Dolphins’
Research has shown that young children do not recognize the nude couple embracing in the image if they have not been exposed to the concept of adult love; they can only see the 9 Dolphins (it took me months of regularly staring at this image before I saw them). This concept of perception is similar to the psychology professions label, The Danning-Kruger Effect, also mentioned in my June 2023 AUGIWORLD article.
I am not here to just provide you with only Tips & Tricks as there are plenty of online resources for this. I am here to change the industry’s perception of CAD and specifically CAD Management. I will say this though… “Be careful of who you chose to learn from. You want to learn the correct way, not the incorrect way, which is obviously where most are learning it from since the issues are not being resolved. In fact, it is my observation of the past 20 years or so that it is actually getting worse. Who wants to work in a chaotic office environment? Surely no one is the only answer”.
So, I will continue banging-on about my “Control vs. Chaos” and the “Danning-Kruger Effect” realities until the global Engineering industry has their own change in perception. Because, until they do, we will never solve the CAD issues that the global Engineering industry continues to experience even in here in 2023, (even though it has been 40+ years since AutoCAD was first released). This is why I am here. This is my purpose. And I will not give up. Because I am a CAD Manager, and I love the process when done right.
It is like pure music to me.
