Datasheet

CHAPTER 1: WHAT’S INVOLVED: DEFINING THE POSITION ■

Making It Happen

At this point, I hope you’ve gained some thorough preparation and a framework of

understanding of all the variables, tasks, and perspectives that the CAD management

job entails. Yes, it’s a complex job. Yes, you must consider many variables to do it. But

the more you think, the more you prepare, and the better you can handle the give-

and-take and the questions, the easier it’ll be.

Probably more than other positions, the CAD manager has to balance technical

and managerial factors. That’s why the preparation you’ve gone through in this chapter

is so critical. Demonstrating the ability to judge, juggle, balance, and prioritize is

exactly what gives you the basis to gain the power to do your job.

As you plan how to attack your CAD management job, keep the following gen-

eral truths in mind:

• If management thinks that all you do is serve the user perspective, they’ll form

the opinion that you’re a great technical person but not management material.

• If you serve only the managerial perspective, your users will feel under-supported,

and their impression will ultimately get back to management.

• Handling the tough decisions using financial, “money talks” logic trumps all

other decision-making metrics because the company’s financial well-being is

your ultimate concern.

• Gaining the power to do your job is a matter of making management under-

stand that you’ve mastered the concepts I’ve discussed.

What I hope we’ve accomplished in this chapter is to prod you into thinking

about all the different aspects and facets of the CAD manager’s job. Before you read

any further in the book make sure you’ve accomplished the following tasks since they’ll

form the basis for everything you’ll do:

• Get all your tasks down in list form

• Analyze the list based on the approaches outlined

• Think, think and think some more

• Rework your list any time you think of a new task you must manage

Obviously this is a difficult process, but nobody said this job would be easy,

right? I’d rather you spend more time here in Chapter 1 really thinking about what you

need to do and how you need to do it, than have you barnstorm forward.

The time you spend here will pay you back tenfold in the future, believe me. In

Chapter 2, we’ll talk about taking stock of your current situation and how to put the

definition of your position into practice within your company.

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