CAD managers are often tasked with maintaining and enforcing CAD standards yet there is very little awareness of how CAD standards can impact quality control.  Simply put, CAD managers need to think of how they can use their normal maintenance, standards and support activities to become engines of quality improvement.  In this session we’ll examine leading quality management concepts including Deming theory, Andon chords, and Kaizen process controls in a way that is applicable to CAD users and managers alike.  Along the way special emphasis will be placed on how you can use these concepts to advance your career as you help your company build a leaner, meaner, faster and more profitable CAD environment via a deliberative process of quality control. Be ready to challenge the way you think about CAD management in this thought provoking session.

1. Quality Control for
CAD/BIM Managers
Robert Green
Robert Green Consulting
RGreen@GreenConsulting.com

2. Robert Green quick biography
Mechanical engineer turned CAD manager
Private consultant since 1991
Focus: CAD standards and management
Cadalyst Magazine author contributing editor
24 year AU speaker
Facebook: CAD Managers Unite!
Web site: www.GreenConsulting.com
RGreen@GreenConsulting.com

3. Are you focused enough on quality?
If you aren’t you should be! Why?

4. What Defines Quality from a CAD Standpoint?
Lets discuss

5. The things I hear from CAD managers …
▪ Standards
▪ Blocks/families/parts
▪ Dimensions/text/details
▪ File formats
▪ Tools (Revit/Inventor/AutoCAD)
▪ Filing procedures
▪ Note: Technicality …

6. What I wish I heard more from CAD managers …
▪ Smooth project execution
▪ Lowered costs
▪ Happy staffers
▪ Happy customers
▪ Happy management
▪ Note: Project flow …

7. What Impedes Quality from a CAD Standpoint?
Lets share a few observations.

8. The things I hear from project managers …
▪ Just get it done!
▪ Can’t you hurry up?
▪ We’ll have to cut corners (just once)
▪ We need to make-up for lost time
▪ Forget the standards we’ve got work to do …

9. What I don’t hear from project managers …
▪ It is fine if you screw up
▪ The customer won’t mind mistakes
▪ I won’t get mad when rework happens
▪ Just keep charging hours
▪ Sound familiar …

10. You’ll always be pushed to cut corners but you’ll
always be blamed when things go wrong. Using
quality control systems is the only way to
eliminate these two nagging issues.

11. What Tools Can We Use to Achieve Quality?
Here’s what I’ve observed.

12. They give us a straw and spitballs.
Spitballs are, at most, annoying.

13. These are the spitballs …
▪ Written standards
▪ Lame training
▪ Uninvolved management …

14. We need phasers!
Everybody respects phasers!

15. These are the phasers …
▪ Error/deviation tracking
▪ Deming process theory
▪ Kaizen methodologies
▪ The Andon chord
▪ User training/involvement
▪ Buy-in from management …

16. You can’t win the quality battle fighting with
spitballs and standards nobody reads. Achieving
quality results requires quality based tools and
involved users/management.

17. There’s a Magic Word than can help you get armed
with phasers. What is it?
(Hint: Prevent it and you’re a hero.)

18. What does rework cost your company?
David Heinemeier Hansson | Jason Fried

19. The costs are staggering …
▪ Reformatting drawings
▪ Missed interferences
▪ Inefficient interdepartmental handoffs
▪ Not meeting client requirements
▪ The list goes on and on …

20. Add it all up as best you can …
▪ Man Hours x Hourly Rate = Costs
▪ Track costs over time
▪ Time is, indeed, money
▪ Better quality = Lower cost …

21. If management knows how much they’re losing
they have no choice but to implement quality
control and the CAD Manager is the logical choice
to start the program.

22. Achieving process Control
Deming Theory

23. Deming’s theory:
“If you can’t describe what
you’re doing as a process then
you don’t know what you’re
doing.”

24. Basic Deming in action …
▪ Know what people do
▪ Check that they do it right
▪ Act when they deviate
▪ Plan corrective action
▪ Repeat …

25. The Deming Cycle: Constant Improvement

26. “You can have it fast or you can have it good.”
What would Deming say about this?

27. “Cheap or good or fast – take your pick.”
CAD quality control makes this false!

28. CAD quality control enables …
▪ Better processes
▪ Better processes give you:
▪ More consistent results
▪ Faster
▪ At lower costs
▪ Will management like this? …

29. Very few things yield as much potential for
improvement as quality controlled CAD.
Are you preaching this to your boss?

30. Stopping deviations as they happen
The Andon Cord

31. Key Andon principles …
▪ When errors happen production stops
▪ Source/cause is indentified
▪ Results are public but not personal
▪ Project management is involved
▪ Fix is made immediately …

32. Key Andon take-aways …
▪ Production employees are empowered
▪ Management is in on the solution
▪ Error makers are located promptly
▪ Ignoring procedures stops production
▪ The true cost of errors is seen …

33. Andon is Deming’s Check-Act

34. Andon sends a clear signal that nobody can “bury
errors” or “ignore procedures” because anyone
who finds the problem can stop the project.
Is your company ready for an Andon chord?

35. Who, What, Where, When, Why, How
The Kaizen Method

36. Kaizen + Deming

37. Kaizen defined …

38. Key Kaizen principles …
▪ Errors are subject to laser beam scrutiny
▪ The process is on display to all
▪ Solutions are clearly defined
▪ Solutions/problems acknowledged
▪ Accountability is key …

39. Key Kaizen take-aways …
▪ Errors are attacked
▪ Costs are known and displayed
▪ Everyone is accountable
▪ “Change for Good” improves quality …

40. Kaizen is Deming’s Do-Check

41. Kaizen brings all users, managers and
departments to the table to resolve problems in
processes. Everybody is “in the same boat” with
Kaizen and can no longer use departmental
barriers to hide or justify poor quality.

42. Buy-In from Management
The Secret Sauce of Quality

43. Key Buy-In principles …
▪ Stress constant improvement
▪ Stress happier staff
▪ Demonstrate process control
▪ Show your understanding of methods
▪ Don’t make it personal – it’s all business
▪ Make cost savings paramount …

44. Buy-in is all about Deming’s “Act” …

45. Buy-in is all about Deming’s “Act” …
▪ Without power to act you can’t:
▪ Plan, Do or Check
▪ Implement Andon
▪ Implement Kaizen
▪ When management buys-in to quality
they empower you to ACT …

46. If your management team doesn’t “buy-in” to
quality control for CAD/BIM processes then your
number one task is to achieve buy-in. Once buy-
in is achieved your number one task is to keep
pushing for improvement.

47. Using Deming’s nomenclature what do
we need to do now?
(Hint: Plan – Do – Check - Act)

48. We’re Done!
I hope everyone is inspired to tackle quality
management when you get back to the office.

49. Quality Control for
CAD/BIM Managers
Robert Green
Robert Green Consulting
RGreen@GreenConsulting.com