Topic: CAD Standards letter

[One Shot]

I am trying to create a letter that states that whoever is working on your drawings that they abide to the company standards and etc.? After reading and understanding the guidelines of the letter they should sign the letter to signify that the understand.  Does anyone have any suggestions that they would like to share?


Thank you,

Brad

[M-dub]

Is this letter for outside contractors or for your internal draftsmen?

If it's outside contractors, the should be handed something like that when the job is awarded to them.  On that letter, you should say something like "Drawings must be done in accordnace to the Drawing Standards of Company XYZ.  Failure to do so will result in ____________.

If it's for your internal draftsmen, I shudder to think about how long you've dealt with drawings not drawn to the standards.  I don't know how you'd approach this one...It's open for discussion here, though! 

Good Luck!

[glee]

I've gone that route.  Sometimes it just results in people being p** off. 
We attempted a more diplomatic way by getting everyone to attend CAD lunches, where it was a sort of informal training session and with that a dose of CAD standards.  Usually ended up as a discussion where after awhile everyone sort of bought into the standards.  Made them part of the process so, when we did get newbies and did not have the time at that moment to do a full blown trainning session, we had people who would show them the ropes, so to speak.

Plus we did put our full blown cad trainning manual with standards in the employee manual.  The manual states that employees have to read it and sign off on it.  Includes all the contents.  Becomes part of the contract.  Works for all new employees coming in.   

[One Shot]

This letter would be for the outside consultants only.  I am still trying to come up with a way to deal with the in-house drawings.

Thank you,

Brad

[Greg B]

If I may ask....why MUST an outside consultant follow your standards?  Unless your subbing out the architecture?

[ronjonp]

If I may ask....why MUST an outside consultant follow your standards?  Unless your subbing out the architecture?

He must work for the Army Corps 

[One Shot]

If I may ask....why MUST an outside consultant follow your standards?  Unless your subbing out the architecture?

We recieved direction from our Corp. office to enforce the standards.  Since we send a lot of work out to the consultants.  And our office maintains the drawing and correct redlines from the field and etc..  So by having them to follow the standards would make it a lot easier for maintain the drawings.  It would also in sure that when they send us DWF files that they print out properly.  Right niow we have a lot of consultants that seem to can't create a multi-sheet dwf.


By the way, I work for a large home builder!
Brad

[Greg B]

Ok then....what kinda of consultants?

[One Shot]

Ok then....what kinda of consultants?

Arch., Struct, MEP Firms!

[David Hall]

whats the difference?  If they want them to follow the standard, they should.  Do what Intel does, If you dont follow the standard, they dont pay you

[Greg B]

My point is that these companies have many customers they are doing jobs for.  If every company asked them to follow their standard, they would never get anything done.

Maybe the standards your company is looking for is not as strict as I'm thinking they are, but for me, I'd be a little ticked.

My opinion - I don't mean to make anyone upset and I obviously don't have to be right.

[David Hall]

thats why they are consultants.  They do the work b/c I cant right now.  Its like subbing out a piece of a job b/c I dont have time to do it

[One Shot]

My point is that these companies have many customers they are doing jobs for.  If every company asked them to follow their standard, they would never get anything done.

Maybe the standards your company is looking for is not as strict as I'm thinking they are, but for me, I'd be a little ticked.

My opinion - I don't mean to make anyone upset and I obviously don't have to be right.

If we hire a consultant to do work for us.  They should follow the standards that we set.  If the don't, they don't get paid or lose use as a source of income for them firm.

[Keith™]

I think the standards letter is entirely the correct way to go. A couple of years ago I worked for a company doing nothing more than bringing their drawings into line with their company standards. The company hires about 50% of their work out to outside contractors. After a few months they realized that they could no longer manage the drawings because of the wide variation in the "correctness" of the drawings, and consequently had to hire me (and a few other folks) to fix the drawings. Personally I don't see it as a pissing match, I see it as a "I am paying you to do 'this' and if you cannot or will not do it, then someone else will" period. It isn't about trying to force someone to do something extrordinary, it is about consistency.

I suspect if I ask a hundred different people about a specific layering scheme, dimension standards, text size etc.. I would have at least a dozen different answers regarding how it should be. The bottom line is that the standard that best suits your needs should be the one that you adopt and use without regard to the needs or standards of other people. That being said, if you work for a company, either as an employee or contractor, that company has the right to demand that you follow their standard, or find someone who will.

[One Shot]

I think the standards letter is entirely the correct way to go. A couple of years ago I worked for a company doing nothing more than bringing their drawings into line with their company standards. The company hires about 50% of their work out to outside contractors. After a few months they realized that they could no longer manage the drawings because of the wide variation in the "correctness" of the drawings, and consequently had to hire me (and a few other folks) to fix the drawings. Personally I don't see it as a pissing match, I see it as a "I am paying you to do 'this' and if you cannot or will not do it, then someone else will" period. It isn't about trying to force someone to do something extrordinary, it is about consistency.

I suspect if I ask a hundred different people about a specific layering scheme, dimension standards, text size etc.. I would have at least a dozen different answers regarding how it should be. The bottom line is that the standard that best suits your needs should be the one that you adopt and use without regard to the needs or standards of other people. That being said, if you work for a company, either as an employee or contractor, that company has the right to demand that you follow their standard, or find someone who will.

Would you do that with each project?

Brad