Maximizing CAD & GIS Technology ROI

In this article, Pete Kelsey, K-TEK Solutions’ founder and Autodesk Certified Instructor, shares his proven three-step process to help government entities manage change and maximize CAD and GIS technology ROI through standardization, implementation and education. Keeping pace and staying productive with ever-changing technology is a challenge for every government agency or government sub-contractor that creates, manages, or shares digital design data. In this interview, Pete Kelsey, K-TEK Solutions’ founder and an Autodesk Certified Instructor, shares his proven three-step process to help government entities manage change and maximize CAD and GIS technology ROI through standardization, implementation and education. Pete and his team regularly consult, standardize, train and support GPS, CAD, GIS, FM and EDMS systems worldwide. “It is generally accepted that users of complex CAD and GIS systems use, on average, only 10% of the software they own. Technical training exists for one simple reason: to maximize the return on investment (ROI) made in technology by increasing the employee’s ability to effectively use the technology.” Q. How do you recommend that government agencies keep pace with changing technologies and tools? A. There is a proven three-step program that will make managing change much easier and much more successful. The steps are Standardization, Education and Implementation. Using these steps will not only help manage change but, if successfully completed, will result in an increase in productivity and efficiency as well. Q. How do you define standardization? A. Standardization is a methodology of making internal processes and procedures the same across offices, departments, teams, etc. In a well standardized environment, all employees will know where the data they use in their job is stored, what the data is called, when it was created, and who created it. The processes used to create, manage, access, and plot the data are all standardized as well. In the government workplace, for example, standards include IT standards such as file naming, location, and access procedures; field coding standards that document the process by which data is gathered in the field from surveyors; and of course, CAD standards—Layers, Line types, Blocks, Text Styles, Units, Coordinate Systems, and so on. Q. Why is standardization so important? A. The number of man hours wasted searching for data in most government organizations is staggering. Even after an employee is able to find the data they need, frequently it is incompatible with other data they have. If it is not compatible, many man hours will be required to repair or modify the data so it provides the information needed. Finally, after the data is located and made compatible and production work finally gets started there comes the sad realization that the initial data found for the project days or weeks ago was wrong. Without proper processes, when production does begin, it is not unusual for multiple technicians unknowingly to complete tasks that have already been completed by someone else. The point is you must have processes in place from the very beginning of the data creation phase (plans, drawings, maps, etc.) and these processes must be followed to avoid mistakes and eliminate duplication of effort throughout the project. That’s why, for any government entity that creates, or manages design data or receives design data from subcontractors, transitioning from a non-standardized environment to a standardized one will result in a profound increase in efficiency. Q. If standardization promises such great returns, why isn’t everyone doing it? A. Many dismiss standardization as an impossible task due to the fear of change that permeates most government organizations. Lack of support from upper management is frequently cited as a problem. These are, in fact, two items that must be addressed to successfully implement standards. Involving the people who will use them in the creation of standards is a simple yet effective way of overcoming departmental fear of change. If people are involved and know what’s coming they will be less resistant. Top-down support cannot be over-emphasized. Many well intentioned standards and process initiatives have failed due to a lack of commitment at senior levels. Senior managers must be made to understand the cost of not creating processes and standards. Briefings to increase understanding of the problem and participation in the standards development process typically help to get management on board. Q. So that’s where Step 2, education, comes in? A. Absolutely. A successful standardization effort also requires well planned and executed training. It is generally accepted that users of complex CAD and GIS systems use, on average, only 10% of the software they own. Technical training exists for one simple reason: to maximize the return on investment (ROI) made in technology by increasing the employee’s ability to effectively use the technology. Q. How do you choose the best technology training program? A. Most educated adults have had both positive and negative experiences with training. Positive technology training experiences can be achieved if a few common sense guidelines are followed. Avoid instructors who read the text to the class from a script. You need to know the level of the instructor’s skill and experience in advance. Qualified instructors have industry experience and a lot of it. Any bright kid out of the local technical school can show you how to push buttons and make something happen on the computer but can he or she show you how the tools can be applied to your industry or a work process? A positive training experience involves information exchange. Classroom interaction causes learning and retention to truly happen. ROI can be further increased if the instructor uses project data in class, especially when teaching internal standards and processes. Q. How do you ensure that once the standards are developed and people are trained, that they’ll actually be used? A. Implementing standards can be done without a user revolt if properly planned for. Implementations on a small scale are typically most effective at first. Begin with a small, easily managed group that represents an adequate cross section of the organization. This way, many problems (bugs, defects, etc.) may be corrected and omissions may be addressed before implementing the program enterprise wide. If everyone knows the new tools, processes, and standards have been thoroughly tested, and they have been trained to use them, accepting change will not be such a painful process. Q. What kind of benefits can government organizations expect from such implementations? A. By creating standards, processes and procedures and then training on these, productivity increases of up to 70-100% can be achieved without buying a single new product. As new technology does become available, the ability to add additional capability becomes simpler, safer and much more cost effective for the organization. Anyone who designs, builds or manages data can use this matrix to visualize the complex flow of information they deal with every day. Clearly, an organization must put processes in place to enable the timely and seamless flow of information throughout the design/build/manage cycle. Take the no-so-fictional City of Jonesville, for example, which has been tasked with building a new park. The city issues an RFP knowing the project will require subcontracted Surveyors, Civil Engineers, Architects and Landscape Architects. Several city departments including Planning, Engineering, and Public Works will be involved as well. The local utility company will also be engaged to grant electrical service to the site. Such complexity insures that interoperability and communication will be key factors in determining the project’s success with regards to scheduling, quality, price and public acceptance. Before any work is done, there should be a citywide standard in place for CAD layering, symbol libraries, GIS and CAD coordinate systems, architectural and engineering scales, metric vs. imperial units, just to name a few. Another way that public sector organizations are beginning to lay the groundwork for success is by requiring that all deliverables from subcontractors are submitted compliant with established standards. In fact, many jurisdictions are now making compliance requirements part of their RFPs and, in an attempt to make compliance easy, they are posting standard requirements to contractors on the internet. By doing this, all incoming data from contractors will be compatible and require little to no editing on the part of the department receiving the data. Many CAD/GIS applications have prototype or template functionality that allows new files to be created that meet standards automatically. For example, Jonesville can use the CAD standards checker included in all AutoCAD®-based products to help check for standards compliance. Any discrepancies are identified by the software and kicked back to the author to correct. Furthermore standardization insures all the CAD or non-CAD deliverables are compatible with the city’s GIS, FM and EDMS systems. Caron Beesley, Editor, [acronym] magazine Originally published in [acronym] magazine, Issue 2