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CAD Geeks Inside: Starting, Maintaining and Enabling a Company User Group

CAD Geeks Inside: Starting, Maintaining and Enabling a Company User Group. Image courtesy of Engineering Center LTD, Russia. $1,600. $25 a month. Crazy?. $5,000. 5 users. $25,000. $50 per hour. 40 hrs. 50 weeks. 1 meeting monthly. 30 min. .5 hrs x 5 = $125 per week.

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CAD Geeks Inside: Starting, Maintaining and Enabling a Company User Group

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  1. CAD Geeks Inside: Starting, Maintaining and Enabling a Company User Group Image courtesy of Engineering Center LTD, Russia

  2. $1,600

  3. $25 a month

  4. Crazy?

  5. $5,000

  6. 5 users

  7. $25,000

  8. $50 per hour

  9. 40 hrs

  10. 50 weeks

  11. 1 meeting monthly

  12. 30 min

  13. .5 hrs x 5 = $125 per week

  14. Then using the CAD Geek “Law of compounding productivity gains”

  15. $500, $1000, $1500….

  16. $33,000 worth of productivity

  17. $33,000 - $25,000 = $8,000 / 5 = $1,600 Bonus

  18. $25

  19. CAD Geeks Inside: Starting, Maintaining and Enabling a Company User Group Kevin Robinson CAD Geek kevin.robinson@tatatechnologies.com http://askthecadgeek.blogspot.com/ Image courtesy of Engineering Center LTD, Russia

  20. Introduction • 15+ years experience with Autodesk technology • 10 years as a full time CAD geek • 10th AU …. I think….. • 4th year as a AU speaker • Have used Inventor since day one….. • 9 User Group start ups in the last 5 years • Created a repeatable, managed process for sharing our CAD geek knowledge internally and externally • User Groups • Blog • Etc • Explored and implemented various technologies to keep it all going.

  21. Class Description • Internal CAD tribes and user groups are mission-critical to ensuring your company is able to leverage all the software’s capabilities. This class will cover best practices and technology enablers that will help empower you and your co-workers to get the most out of your CAD investments.

  22. Class Objectives • Discussion on WHY user groups are so important • Learn how easy it is to get a company user group started • Understand the dynamics required to keep it going • Explore different technology enablers that can empower many • In depth review of the “Law of compounding productivity gains” • Open Q and A

  23. Importance of user groups • Ways companies invest in CAD…. • Elements of Success • End User Adoption • Spreads out the knowledge

  24. Ways companies get CAD software…. • Buy • Buy and Hope • Buy and "We got this one guy…..“ • Buy, Basic Training, Install • Invest, Tailored Training and Implementation, A few days on the books left over • Plan, Invest, Custom Everything, On going training plan

  25. Possible Elements of Success • Training • Customer Champion / Change Mgr • Business Goal Alignment • Client and Network Hardware • Templates and Standards • File Sharing / Data Locations • Non-Engineering Impact • Customer Vision / Enablement • Target Metrics / Plan • Helpdesk / Lifeline • New tool Methods / Advanced Workflows

  26. Forced Ranked Elements of Success • Customer Vision / Enablement • Business Goal Alignment • Customer Champion / Change Mgr • New tool Methods / Advanced Workflows • Training

  27. End User Adoption • Open Communication • Understand the hurdles or roadblocks • Share the Influence of change

  28. Spreads out the knowledge • Distributes the load of the support system • Enables future input and direction • Supports common workflows vs. every person for them self

  29. Getting one started - Critical Elements • YOU • Some spare time • Excitement and Passion

  30. Getting one started – the process • Send out a user survey • Get some speakers or create content • Pick a date that works for most people • Find out what type of food people want • Set an agenda and forward 2 days in advance • Run the meeting • Ask the users who wants to present at the next meeting….. WRONG

  31. Getting one started – the process – TAKE TWO • Borrow / Steal some content from your reseller or the internet (I hear those cad geeks have some stuff we can use….) • Pick an upcoming Friday around lunchtime • Tell some co-workers when and where they can find free food • Run the meeting • Have a sign in sheet and a place where they can fill in future topics • Run the same meeting a few more times

  32. Keeping it going….we had a few meetings now what? • Formalize the basics • Content, Content, Content • Steady trickle….. • Knowledge Management planning

  33. Formalize the basics • Set an agenda the users can count on: • Basics review • Intermediate • What's New • Open Discussion • Establish the meeting frequency • Monthly • Duration • Meeting location • Notification process • Feedback Loop

  34. Content, Content, Content • Content Sources: • Common questions and helpdesk issues from your company • AUGI • Existing Local user group • Your reseller • AOTC books from autodesk.com • The internet • Guest Speaker

  35. Steady Trickle….weekly • Forward in Article from AUGI • Send something new YOU learned this week • Send a link to a you tube video (cad related of course) • Forward content you subscribe to, but tailor to the work you do

  36. Getting started with Knowledge Management • Establish a running list of topics that anyone cad add to • Maintain an archive of past content for review • Work with other end users and see “how they do it”, document it • Work with HR on understanding how they track knowledge and skills and look for synergy and or sponsorship

  37. Technology enablers • Autodesk Elements • Stocking Stuffers • Under the radar • IT / Management involvement 

  38. Autodesk Elements • Subscription Center • Log issues with Autodesk • eLearning • Communication Center / CAD Mgr Utility • RSS feeds • CAD Mgr Channel • CAD standards link • discussion.autodesk.com • Autodesk Blogs

  39. Stocking Stuffers • Techsmith Jing – www.jingproject.com • Quick capture of image or video • Create link to share with co-workers • Leverage screencast as backbone for sharing – www.screencast.com • Ning – www.ning.com • Free web based community building tool • Blogs, photos, discussions, videos, etc • Can be set to private • Blogger.com • If you want to share you ideas in thoughts with your co-workers and let them post comments and questions.

  40. Under the radar • Techsmith Jing Pro - $20 per year • Allows more video formats • Smaller files • Plus more • Techsmith Snagit - $40 • Fast and east screen grabs • Also does video capture • Very powerful editing and markup tools • Great for creating user group content

  41. IT / Management involvement  • www.gotomeeting.com - $500 per year • Great for remote employees • Great for enabling remote guest speakers • Has nice tracking and survey tools • Techsmith Camtasia Studio / Snag it bundle - $350 • Everything from Snagit + Full feature video capture and editing tools • www.myigetit.com - $95 a user + Publishing tool $ • Learning paths • Video, text, PPT and PDF content support • Reporting tools for • Microsoft SharePoint - $$ • Discussion Groups, Lists, Alerts, outlook syncing

  42. But wait there is more….. • User Group Jumpstart kit to the first 4 people • $25 Gift card for a future meeting of course  • Free copy of Techsmith Snag it ($40 value) • 1 Free login to www.myigetit.com ($95 value) • 1 CAD Geeks Guest Speaker Pass (Priceless) • What you need to do: • Fan us on Facebook.com “Tata Technologies CAD geeks” • Run your first user group meeting before end of January 2010 • Send me an email @ kevin.robinson@tataechnologies.com telling me : • How you think it went? • What were your topics? • What content did you use or create? • Date of the next meeting • Ideas for future topics relative to YOUR company

  43. Summary • Hopefully you are ready to start a user group at your company • Better understand some speaking points to create some urgency • Seen some technology that might enable you to gain momentum

  44. CAD Geek Resources Our CAD Geek Blog – Daily tips about Autodesk Manufacturing technologies. http://askthecadgeek.blogspot.com/ Web based Inventor user group – we meet every month online over the web, its free to anyone with a web connection and a passion for Inventor. http://tatatechnologies.com/autodesk Inventor Users Site – Over 800 Inventor users in one place sharing tips and tricks http://autodeskinventorusers.ning.com/ Inventor Users Group on LinkedIn.com – Great place to network with over 700 Inventor users to discuss industry trends and grow your professional network, simply join linkedin.com and search for the group “Autodesk Inventor Users” Become a Fan on Facebook.com – Search for Tata Technologies CAD Geeks on facebook

  45. Open Discussion

  46. Stop by our booth #348…..

  47. Contact Info Kevin Robinson 248-699-1904 kevin.robinson@tatatechnologies.com http://askthecadgeek.blogspot.com/

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