Strategy 1 : Embrace best practices and new technologies
Getting the most out of your CAD system requires keeping abreast of emerging
developments and determining how new technologies will impact your engineering
processes. The term “best practices” is a moving, shifting target, because what
was considered a “best practice” 10 years ago has most likely become obsolete
today—just as how you currently do things will in all likelihood undergo a dramatic
transformation 10 years from now.
It’s important to remain open to new approaches, rather than sticking with old,
comfortable ways of doing things. Back in the infancy of CAD, there undoubtedly
were managers who resisted the move to CAD tools and wanted to hold on to their
drafting tables to the bitter end. More recently, something similar has taken place
with the migration from 2D to 3D CAD systems.
To keep pace with the evolution of “best practices” in product development, effective
CAD leaders must not only remain vigilant in evaluating new tools and emerging
technologies, but also in continually assessing how they go about designing and
engineering products