I am in the process of creating them for our company. But, every company sets up PDMW different. You need to create the basics based off the help menu, then modify to fit your company.
Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP1.1 / PDMWorks 05 ctopher's home site
brudje,
I suggest you start with a workflow chart of some sort. This should help you get the flow of how you PDMW to be handled in the vault. Too many times people just start filing things away without any thought, and then blame PDMW for not being flexible.....Have a plan! And it sounds like you're going about it the right way. I use PowerPoint with big easy pictures for everyone to understand. PowerPoint and ALT+printscreen are your friends now....
I have put together a training manual for our company on PDMWorks - though I'd wager that what we do might be completely differnt than what you do. The help just scratches the surface of what you need to know to use PDMW effectively (as I learned the hard way!).
Try going to your VAR to get some consulation - I even managed to get our PDMW procedures proof-read by someone at our VAR. iGetIt also offers an online course in PDMW admininstration and client stuff for a $500 annual fee, an excellent resource for that price.
Have you already started using PDMW? If not, you are in great position because you can set your vault up with your step-by-step procedures in mind. Even if you have already started with it, try to envision what you want the vault to look like then figure out what to do to get there.
PDM is setup and the vault has been thought out and configured.
My question is based more around the user tasks that need to be performed. Check in, check out, releasing ownership, etc....It would seem from the responses that this "recipe" style users guide is something everyone is findind valuable. People are beginning to sour on PDM due users not taking the time to "learn" SWPDM.....
These are the rules I came up with for our company.
PDM Rules to Live by:
1. Get latest parts from PDM.
2. Work only within your working directory.
3. Keep your working directory clean.
4. Take ownership as soon as you know you are going to change, if an ECN is required keep ownership until you give it to Documentation.
5. Do not check out or take ownership unless you are going to change it.
6. Do not take ownership of an assembly and all children.
7. Upon check-in, add short note as to what you did.
8. Release Ownership (if applicable) during check-in not afterwards.
9. Do not add suffices and prefixes to part numbers being checked-in to PDM.
10. Do not check-in junk names; get a part number if it needs to be in PDM.
11. If you are working on projects that are not ready for PDM, create a sub-directory within your working directory for those models. Remember rule number 2.
12. Do not delete relationships and external references.
13. Clean swSolidWorksBackups directory; defrag your C:\ drive as often as needed.
