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Split the drafting department?

Split the drafting department?

Split the drafting department?

(OP)
I know this is kind of off-topic, but I value the opinions of many of the posters here...

My company is changing it's 'structure' to create several smaller teams which each will work with an individual set of clients.  Each team will be self-supporting and have all of the necessary people (designers, engineers, drafters, estimatiors, salesmen, etc.).

Along with that change there is talk of splitting departments (such as drafting) and physically moving teams together.  This would mean you'd have drafters in several different areas of a very large building, instead of in one area.

I'm okay with the idea of teams, but not with the idea of splitting up the drafters.  I think that the standards I worked so hard to create and enforce would go down the tubes as each team kind of did their own thing.  We'd also lose the benefit of using the person next to you for help & advice.  We're also only three months into our implementation of SolidWorks (we're still learning!).

I'm looking for opinions and information that I can use as I make my case against splitting up the department.  I'd prefer to use technology to tie the drafters to the teams (laptops for example--you could take your computer to the team if necessary).

Thoughts?  Sorry if the post doesn't belong.  Thanks in advance for your input...

Brian

RE: Split the drafting department?

I have been through it two times at two other companies. After it was split, then it was "Who is fit to get promoted to Engineer". I was lucky both times to get promoted. Then, afterwards, both companies hurt in bookings and financially. The groups doing the drawing do not understand how important it is to control drawings and documents. I believe departments should stay together (Drafting, Engineering, etc) because there is more control that way. As said before, drafters are not engineers and eng are not drafters. Mix them up together, you will get engineers that say they "own" certain drafters. Also documents and drawings are not consistant and are controlled different.
The company I am with now is thinking of splitting up the drafting group. We will see how long I last ...

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP3.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)

FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: Split the drafting department?

There are Pros and Cons to splitting up and staying together.  I'm sure I'm just scratching the surface with the following...

Pro Together
SW users gets to stay in close contact, standards are more likely to be maintained.  Everyone is easily found. Easier on-going training.

Con Together
Down time related to walking back & forth between the SW users and the non-users. Less communications between SW users and non-users.


Pro Split
More focused work. Better team spirit. Quicker response to changes.

Con Split
People harder to find. Chance that standards won't be maintained.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Split the drafting department?

Ever accidentally order two containers of widgets made to drawings or files three revisions old?  It can happen.

I used to help out with document control back in my ACAD days (and this was a relatively small company).  I couldn't believe how easy it was for wrong documents to get into the hands of vendors in such a small environment.  Those are bigger issues that are slightly easier to control than the smaller issue but almost impossible item to control of keeping unified standards among a series of teams.

Your company should probably look at its priorities and weigh the options to see if it's really up to such changes.  I like changes, but there is always a price tag.  Sometimes it's two containers of worthless widgets and a wrecked delivery schedule.


Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reality is no respecter of good intentions.

RE: Split the drafting department?

Co-located teams as we call it. Personally I've always enjoyed working in small teams that are self sufficient.

You are right about engineers "owning" drafties, but I don't see that as a bad thing.

One way to get around it is to have two desks for each draftie, one in the CAD office, one in the team office. These need to be fully functional desks, not just 'drop-in' desks.

On the other hand I'm surprised you think that the CAD group will lose contact, that's what emails and the phone are for.

Possibly one approach is to do it one team at atime, as the more experienced drafters get up to speed ship them off to a team, leave the more inexperienced ones in the central CAD office.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Split the drafting department?

I think the best solution stays in the middle.

For several reasons, like standardization, document control, resources management/optimization,..., the department should not be splitted.

But inside this department you should create teams assigned to certain products, certain markets or certain tasks. These teams can work sharing knoledge and resources and still being focused in their goals.

You will have the best of two worlds.

Regrads

RE: Split the drafting department?

macPT,

That sounds great, but how are you going to get the pointy-haired management to understand something like that with vague boundaries?


Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reality is no respecter of good intentions.

RE: Split the drafting department?

(OP)
Great responses... that didn't take long.

I prefer either of these:

-all drafters centrally located, but individually assigned to teams (sort of the best of both worlds)

-the 'dual desk' idea presented by Greg, where there are two locations for the drafters to work from (this ties in nicely with my laptop idea).

The phone and email are great for one-on-one contact and discussion, but I'd hate to lose the ability to pull everybody over to my desk to show them something that they'll all benefit from (for example). We use each other as resources and are in constant communication--we'll be better as individuals if we're able to work together as a group.  My opinion.

Keep em' coming... thanks to all for the excellent responses!

Brian

RE: Split the drafting department?

"but I'd hate to lose the ability to pull everybody over to my desk to show them something that they'll all benefit from (for example). We use each other as resources and are in constant communication--we'll be better as individuals if we're able to work together as a group.  My opinion."

Do you have an intraweb that you can all add to? Use this to store your tips and techniques, eventually it will become your department's style manual, and reference. I run one like that myself. The first few tries can be traumatic, but once you have got into the idea of making desktop videos etc then it becomes a useful training tool.

You may need a keen young webguru to help with this, I wouldn't bother learning all the ins and outs.

We use our intranet for job tracking and data storage as well (that is, our reference models are stored on the web).

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Split the drafting department?

Our company has been split up into groups for the 29 years I have been there.  Although the groups are separate, they are not located that far apart.  Also we only have one QC department that checks all the details.  I will not say that each group does not have their own "exceptions", we all follow the same standards book.  I would say that the worse offense is that each group has a different preferred bearing, gearbox, electrical devices, etc which makes it difficult when you are lent to another group.  As for SolidWorks, we have a team that works on Best Practices and also provides support for all groups to try and mantain consistency all the way to the assembly level.

RE: Split the drafting department?

Together or apart, "best practices" should be discussed, created, reviewed and used.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Split the drafting department?

My opinion...

1.) The drafting department should remain intact, even as drafters are assigned to teams.  Teams and projects come and go.

2.) Drafting departments are the "design librarians" in most cases.  They are the ones charged with maintaining the PDM system and keeping information up-to-date long after teams and projects dissipate.  That thread of integrity can be crucial in the long term.

3.) Assigning drafters to teams is beneficial to both drafters and the teams.  Teams get a drafter who is familiar with the entire body of the project; drafters more in-depth design experience by working on a design through multiple stages.

I could be the world's greatest underachiever, if I could just learn to apply myself.
http://www.EsoxRepublic.com-SolidWorks API VB programming help

RE: Split the drafting department?

I also agree with Tick. If the drafters are separated into teams (we have teams here, but the CAD dept is together), the engineers will eventually want to change the way the documentation is structured (dim layout, tolerances, etc..) The differences may appear small and insignificant in the beginning, but eventually you will have several team standards instead of one company standard.

Jeff

RE: Split the drafting department?

Jeff

Normally top management is sensitive to the cost reduction argument. But that will not be enough. It will be a hard task to prove that you will be able to have the job done. I don't think the problem is to have vage boudaries in your teams/projects (a thing that you can make as a benefit to you). Top management will consider this to be your problem. The biggest problem is to prove that you are able to manage teams and their different projects, and achive their goals in time, cost, quality/technology (in the end, this is how they will measure your work).

Regards

RE: Split the drafting department?

Okay.  So here's my two cents.

Our company uses a split method for a couple of reasons.

1. We have global customers, all with varies needs.  We have multiple CAD platforms - SW, CATIA, UG, Pro/E, I-DEAS.  To have a "drafting pool" would not be possible for our product applications.

2. Along with multiple CAD platforms, we have multiple customer products to attend to.  Generally, a product line will match a CAD platform.  For this reason the split method works for us.

3. Standards: if they are well documented then it should not matter what group originated the document.

Regards,

Christopher Zona - Senior CAD Designer
Litens Automotive Partnership
Concord, Ontario, Canada

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