Planning & Implementing a Successful AutoCAD Upgrade

Planning and Implementing a Successful AutoCAD Upgrade Rick Stavanja President, CAD Systems Analyst Tangra Development, Inc. [email_address] MAN-W2

Summary What We Will Cover… Past Upgrade Mistakes The Real Issues Involved In Successful Upgrades How To Analyze and Assess Your Situation Thorough Planning Implementation Strategies What We Won’t Cover... How To Install AutoCAD

Upgrading AutoCAD Questions Must Be Answered... How much will an upgrade cost? Can we still use our existing systems? Why should we upgrade? Will we have any downtime during the upgrade process? Should we switch to Windows 95 or Windows NT? How much training will be required? Can we still use our favorite AutoLISP programs? When is the best time for us to do an upgrade?

Technology Companies Used to Look at Computer Technology in Order to Gain a Competitive Advantage Today Companies Rely on Computer Technology Just to Remain Competitive All Too Often Companies Now Upgrade Technology Only When They Have To… Not When They Want To

The Legacy Of Failure Upgrading For the Wrong Reasons Almost Always Ensures Some Level Of Failure Failed Upgrades Have Long Lasting Effects Failures Are Remembered Longer Than Successes

The Goal Take a New Approach To The Problem Face The Real Issues Put Your Organization In The Best Possible Competitive Position

Remember. . . The Cost Of Doing a Bad Job Far Exceeds The True Cost Of Doing It Right

The Big Picture What Steps Need To Be Taken To Do The Job Right?

The Big Picture Assessment Identify Goals Comprehensive Planning Determine Strategy Thorough Implementation Follow Up Support

Assessment Understand Your Products & Processes What does the staff produce? How is it produced? What changes could make the most impact? What good things should we keep doing? What bad things should we stop doing? Determine Staff Capabilities Determine the productivity scale. What is the staff capable of?

Assessment (continued) The Current System How far can we go with what we have? What more do we need? Is anything on the horizon to consider? Evaluate AutoCAD Features What features are we using now? What features should we be using now? Objectively evaluate new and old features.

Assessment (continued) AutoCAD Issues & Components Will a new AutoCAD impact our CAD Standards? Will we need to rewrite our AutoLISP Applications?… Menus?… Scripts? Do you need to accommodate roaming AutoCAD users? How can you satisfy the needs of both power users and novice or casual users?

Assessment (continued) Other Tangibles Training What training needs to be done? Do we require training in issues outside of AutoCAD? What training options do we have? Budget Who can approve a budget? What budget hurdles must be overcome? Timing Are there events that may be effected?

Assessment (continued) Intangibles Office Politics Be aware of internal power struggles Follow the chain of command The larger the project, the more likely someone will encounter conflicts along the way Personalities Identify possible advocates & dissenters Be sensitive to stepping on toes

Assessment (continued) Identify Resources Peer or Production Staff IS Staff Vendors Consultants User Groups Systems Software Training Literature Online

Identify Goals The Obvious Goal Do the job better, faster or cheaper. Ask Yourself Questions What capabilities of AutoCAD will make our designs better or our staff more productive? How can we make the process of designing better or more efficient? How much more efficient can we expect to be? What are the foreseeable costs in upgrading? What hidden hurdles may stand in the way?

Identify Goals (continued) Consider All Factors From Assessment Be Diligent & Thorough Identify Attainable Targets Be Conservative Plan For Delivering More Be Creative

Example Goals Upgrade to AutoCAD R14 and Pentium II class workstations for all CAD seats by January 1. Convert to a network-based design team running AutoCAD on the network. Target an additional 10% reduction in editing time by increasing use of editing features such as grips, context manus, the properties toolbar and Bonus Tools. All hardware and software upgrades will be done after normal business hours. Phase in utilizing XRefs and Paper Space as a fundamental drawing mechanism for all production drawings to achieve a 20% reduction in design and drafting time within 18 months. Begin an ongoing training program targeted at getting all production CAD operators up to an AutoCAD Level II certification level within 16 months.

Make a Decision And Sell It Sell The Project Like Any Proposal Large upgrades are big projects… treat them accordingly Identify The Benefits Identify all pertinent issues Be Thorough Quantify The Issues Make reasonable estimates Management will likely digest them further Live Presentations Work Best … but they’re the scariest...

Planning Thorough Homework Technology changes quickly... Stay current. Determine a Realistic Schedule Don’t set yourself up for failure Test All Procedures Rehearse procedures & consider pilot projects Contingencies for Surprises Plan on nothing going as planned Plan Beyond Implementation Plan for tech support, ongoing training, etc...

Strategies Training Do all training before implementation Reduce or eliminate the time between training and implementation Users requiring substantial training should be given adequate time to digest it Training on systems configured like your own Train users not just in AutoCAD, but other new issues and processes as well Changes to CAD Standards Network Issues Procedures

Strategies (continued) Upgrading Systems Upgrade existing systems Replace with new systems Standardizing Systems Upgrading Operating Systems Windows 95... Windows NT4 Windows 98... Windows NT5 Installing Upgrades Manual Installations Scripted & Network Installations

Implementation Execution Large Teams Versus Small Maintain Consistency Communication Cellular Phones or Pagers For Team Members Identify Telephone Extensions of Target Systems Take Advantage of Existing Network Communicate Problems & Solutions Document Everything It’s Never Too Early to Start a Knowledge Base

Cloning Systems Saves Substantial Setup Time Duplicates a Pristine Configuration Disk Imaging Software Ghost (Symantec) DiskClone (Quarterdeck) DriveImage (PowerQuest) FlashClone (Suredata) Understand the Limitations FAT vs. NTFS Hardware Must be Consistent Windows NT Issues Machine & Network SIDs

Automated Application Installation Scripted Installations Microsoft Sysdiff Tool Management Applications Microsoft BackOffice SMS Seagate Winstall CA Unicenter

When Something Goes Wrong Be Prepared You WILL Overlook Something Temporary Replacement Systems Revert To Old System When You Experience a catastrophe, Determine the Cause in Order to Avoid a Repeat

Beyond Implementation Provide Mechanism For Feedback Centralized Technical Support Log All Problems Monitor Progress Internal User Groups Intranet Site Email Document Everything

Sit Back And Relax Let The Problems Settle Down Start Preplanning For The Next Upgrade psst... Release 15 is right around the corner...

Resources For This Presentation and Links to Other Software and Hardware Discussed Today Point Your Web Browser To... www.tangra.com/au98/man-w2 (Materials will be posted September 17) Direct Your Email Questions To... [email_address]

Autodesk University Thank You For Coming Please Remember To Fill Out The Evaluation Forms

Tangra Development, Inc. CAD/GIS Training Consulting Programming Networking Scanning Web Design Spokane, Washington P.O.Box 141757 Spokane, WA 99201 Tel: 509.893.0737 Fax: 509.893.0838 www.tangra.com

Planning & Implementing a Successful AutoCAD Upgrade

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