Perhaps you’re considering BIM for your next agency or department’s next building, facilities management, or civil infrastructure project. But what’s the best way to make sure you get full value from your investment in BIM?

Urban development is a big challenge for governments and project owners. Urbanization, combined with overall population growth, could add another 2.5 billion to the world’s urban centers by 2050. For the infrastructure sector, this means providing the essential utilities and transportation systems to support these dense over-crowded areas – while doing more with less.

It doesn’t matter whether you work in the federal, state or local government, rolling out any new software to your workforce can be a challenge. This is especially true of CAD software. Oftentimes, a department may upgrade from AutoCAD to a discipline-specific tool like AutoCAD Civil 3D or Revit, or depart radically from an old way of doing things with new software.

Team leads or CAD managers face several challenges. Standards must be reviewed and modified, staff must be trained, trial projects must be identified, and user/management expectations met.

If you’re like most designers, engineers, or CAD managers, you probably rely on Windows Explorer and mapped network drives to manage and store project files. For instance, you may have one drive for design data, another for admin, another for permits, and so on. While it’s been the way you’ve done things for years, this habit of breaking your project up into pieces is a problematic approach that can result in misplaced data, poor version control, or deleted data due to incorrect file access control.

It always blows my mind when I talk to designers and engineers who are still using CAD, even Microsoft Visio, for engineering and design work. But when it comes to designing future transportation systems, where complex workflows, tight budgets, and multiple stakeholders complicate project success, CAD simply doesn’t cut it anymore.

Why? Drew Olsen, writing for the BIM on the Rocks blogs, shares some reasons:

You need a faster way to get in front of the stakeholder to advance reviews

CAD managers are an asset to any organization, yet it’s a role that is often hard to pin down and continues to evolve. CAD managers wear many hats. They can fulfil management roles but also take on the role of drafter, IT expert, software procurement, CAD standard enforcement, hiring, and more.

Being a CAD manager can be a rewarding role. In the government sector, CAD managers play an important role in engineering departments, supporting civil, surveying, and public works infrastructure projects – and can be compensated well for their contributions.

If you thought BIM was going to eclipse CAD in the AEC world, think again. Even with the growing adoption of Revit, CAD is still being used on a lot of projects. So CAD folks and BIM folks need to learn to get along – capitalizing on BIM tools while making sure any AutoCAD 2D-based work is completed correctly.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Ensuring your CAD files are compatible with Revit can be challenging. So where do you start?

The dog days of summer are officially here. So what better time to brush up on your digital design skills. Here are some options for getting ahead of the curve this summer.

The dog days of summer have arrived and what perfect time than to grab 5, 30 or even 60 minutes to brush up on your CAD skills.

Whatever your discipline, staying ahead of the curve is essential, but with tight government budgets training isn’t always that easy to come by.

Good news! We’ve put together a cross-section of upcoming webinars and online training that won’t cost you a dime. Go ahead, register for one today and surprise your boss with new ways of thinking and doing!

1. On-Demand Videos: Lynn Allen Video Library of AutoCAD Tips and Tricks

If there’s one certainty in the world of CAD and 3D design software, it’s change. New tools, new features, new use cases. Keeping up isn’t easy, but we’ve got you covered.

Meet Acronym Online – our sister blog dedicated to CAD and 3D design professionals in the public sector.

With contributions from the pros including Lynn Allen, The CAD Geek (aka Donnie Gladfelter), and more, Acronym Online is written with the needs of government readers in mind.