{"id":83,"date":"2008-06-12T08:14:46","date_gmt":"2008-06-12T16:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fcsuper.com\/swblog\/?p=83"},"modified":"2010-11-30T22:59:46","modified_gmt":"2010-12-01T06:59:46","slug":"users-choosers-and-pdm-less-losers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.fcsuper.com\/swblog\/?p=83","title":{"rendered":"Users, Choosers, and PDM-less Losers"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a fairly common topic on most of the SW fora: “How do I move\/manage\/protect my files?”<\/em>.\u00a0 I suppose someone needs to say it, just as a formality; it doesn’t take very long before someone replies, “You should get a PDM system!”<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0Can I get a “Well, Duh!”<\/strong><\/em> from the congregation? [Amen, Hallelujah]<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The fact is, the vast majority of the SW community are users, not choosers.\u00a0 They work away in the arena provided by their employer: slow network, weak workstation, outdated software, leaky ceiling and bad coffee.\u00a0 Users may have loud voices, but usually very little say in what they get to use.\u00a0 They almost certainly don’t get to decide whether to install and use a PDM system, making the first salvo of well-meaning advice hollow. For whatever reason, management will not allow PDM implementation.<\/p>\n

File Management Survival Skills<\/h3>\n

As CAD skills go, file management tends to get short shrift.\u00a0 New users-in-training are preoccupied with more pressing issues like changing colors and constraining sketches.\u00a0 They are in a hurry to get useful so that Sir Boss doesn’t second-guess his hiring decisions.\u00a0 Especially true for small-to-medium sized businesses, where cost of CAD comes out of Sir Boss’ pocket.<\/p>\n

At work, it gets worse.\u00a0 Projects and priorities appear and change daily.\u00a0 Many projects get idled or abandoned, and the SW files get scattered across a half-dozen network drives and “My Documents” folders.\u00a0 Multiple files exist of some parts, leaving no one certain what truly belongs.\u00a0 Parts get accidentally changed by ham-fisted noobs or over-eager bosses.\u00a0 In many places, there is no formal ECN process or designated storage area for released files.<\/p>\n

Get the picture?\u00a0 I’ve seen it four times over in the last two years while doing contract work.<\/p>\n

Case Study: A Client Awakens<\/h3>\n

There is hope for some.\u00a0 My current assignment is at a metal fabrication place with three SW users, plus myself.\u00a0 The engineering manager saw the mounting file management crisis and tasked me to address it.\u00a0 PDM was out of the question, as there was no money or support from parent company.\u00a0 We had to find another way.<\/p>\n

The result was a system of protected folders acting as a vault for CAD files and a library for other documents.\u00a0 The folders are protected using windows security and are owned by a “phantom” user, so that no individual can inadvertently change files under his own login.\u00a0 So far, it works.\u00a0 Not as good as PDM, but OK.<\/p>\n

What was encouraging was that the manager saw the value of his CAD data.\u00c2\u00a0 CAD data is valuable information.\u00a0 Design data does not come cheap.\u00a0 Software, hardware, users, training, etc. are all pricey.\u00a0 Even more costly are the mistakes that can result from mishandled or lost data.\u00a0 Design data needs careful guardianship.<\/p>\n

File Management Survival Skills<\/h3>\n

File management is a skill set that is no less important than sketching.\u00a0 There are things every user should know how to do (or at least know can be done).\u00a0 If you can not do any of these things, you should not be satisfied with your file management skills:<\/p>\n