Design Technologists and their Impact on the Organization

Transcription

1 Design Technologists and their Impact on the Organization Shawn Foster Black and Veatch B2709-R As design technology becomes more and more integrated with the practitioners who are using it, what is the impact on business and specifically, the traditional design technology group? Each firm structures its organization differently depending on the industry, project need, funding models, and a host of other items. This roundtable session will encourage discussion about different approaches and strategies for organizing, structuring, and funding these groups and functions, as well as about how they impact the project, the firm, and cultural and social issues. Learning Objectives At the end of this class, you will be able to: Recognize the difference between information technology and design technology Identify different ideologies for forming and funding design technology groups Develop strategies to apply design technology organizational structures to an organization List the design technologist's different areas of responsibility About the Speaker Shawn Foster is with Black and Veatch, Energy Division. A Structural and Civil Designer by experience, he has worked in and around progressing the use of design technologies throughout his career. For over 25 years, Shawn has been in the design, construction and operation industry working within the large owner/operator, federal government and consulting engineering arenas. During that time, Shawn has been involved in the usage, management, implementation and R&D of various technologies, focusing on design technology. A frequent speaker locally, nationally, and internationally, The Reverend is well known for his passionate speaking style and forthright presentations. He can be reached via Twitter

2 DISCUSSION TOPICS: Design Technologist Who is this person? Information Technology vs. Design Technology Design Technology Organizations - Naming Design Technology Organizations - Funding Design Technology Career Path The Ultimate Question? NOTE: this hand out is a companion piece to the PowerPoint presentation AND to the round table discussion at the conference. Much of the information in this handout is subjective. 2

3 Design Technologist Who is this person? NOTE: this could also be a VDC person (Virtual Design and Construction), but for the purpose of our discussion, I will use Design Technologist. Who is the Design Technologist? They almost always come out of a discipline (such as an architect or a structural engineer) and tries to find a better way to product quality design, deliverables, and overall, raise the bar on how projects are executed. In many cases, these people may stay within their disciplines from a subject matter expertise standpoint. In other cases, they become generalists with a understanding of all disciplines for multi-discipline project execution. This person is a very passionate person about finding the boundaries on how technology is applied to a project, and go beyond. They are an evangelic person, as they are normally beating the drum and preaching on a better way. They are resourceful in how they solve problems, and adaptable to the ever changing face of technology and project execution. Normally, they are a good communicator, but not always the case. 3

4 I make Glass Tubes Where does Glass Tubes fit in? If you know the story of Philo Farnsworth, you'd know... Philo invented television. I mean he invented the television in a little house in Provo, Utah, at a time when the idea of transmitting moving pictures through the air would be like me saying I figured out a way to transfer matter across the universe...philo was inventing the Cathode Receptor, which is the basis for the initial televisions. His brother-in-law was Cliff Gardner...who didn't have Philo's head for science, but wanted to be a part of it. Cliff figured out that Philo was going to need glass tubes in his process. Cliff taught himself to be a glass blower (not like you could go down to the hardware store in the early 1900s and get a glass tube), and made all the tubes Philo needed. That's pretty amazing if you ask me: he looked at a situation, wanted to be a part of it. He jumped in to assist. So how does this fit into Design Technology and how we do our business? Design Technologists may not be designers or engineers on the project, but they've been there before and know what needs to be done...they can look at the process and identify technology that can help you on the way. They can help you get the most of what you may be trying to accomplish...they can help! They can make glass tubes. Note: part of the above text was paraphrased from a Aaron Sorkin written episode of Sports Night. 4

5 Information Technology versus Design Technology Historically speaking, we separate Information Technology from Design Technology. They serve two different functions. Information Technology is what some call the infrastructure or the plumbing of technology. It s the backbone of our work: the desktops, the servers, the network, , web servers, browsers all that stuff that we use daily. Design Technology can be defined as the tools projects use to create the design and the traditional deliverables on our projects: the models, the drawings, the specifications, the analyses. The lines are blurring, as the interdependency between these groups continue to grow. In general, and historically, Design Technologists have had to know enough to a lot about Information Technology as it deals with their work. They know about video cards for CAD or BIM engines, or when the network is running slow as the tools they use reflect or report on issues with the infrastructure. Are they experts in the whole? No, because they don t need to be. Information Technology, historically, doesn t necessarily have to know a lot about the inner workings of Design Technology. The IT staff excels in the deployment of the tool the desktop, the license management, the interaction of the design technology tools within the framework of the infrastructure. Are they experts in the whole of Design Technology? No, because they don t need to be. However, with the availability of data from many devices, the ability to use cloud-type services and SaaS (Software as a Service), the lines are blurring, and the knowledge will need to flow between these two groups. What are your thoughts on the subject? Is there a distinction between the two? Is one a subset of the other? Is it all just technology? Does it matter? 5

6 Naming Names have connotation in organizations. Just naming the position AND the group which the Design Technologist belongs in a certain way can have astounding impact both inside and outside of an organization. In some cases, a group using the words Support or Administration in the title may only imply reactionary help instead of overall assistance from stem to stern. Without the word Design or Construction in the title, how do you know if the individual has enough project or practical experience to work with a project team or client? Design to plan and make decisions about (something that is being built or created) : to create the plans, drawings, etc., that show how (something) will be made to plan and make (something) for a specific use or purpose to think of (something, such as a plan) : to plan (something) in your mind Technologist a specialist in technology the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to invent useful things or to solve problems What are your thoughts on the subject? What do you call your roles? What connotation are you implying in your naming? 6

7 Funding Funding this position has always been a matter of contention within organizations, and it does go back to their title, as well as where these people sit in the organization. Some firms want to pay for these staff positions as overhead. By doing so, it s a consistent number spread across the company via corporate contributions. By doing this, however, they tend to end up in IT organizations, and could jeopardize their impact by spreading them too thin (in both volume of work and needed knowledge.) By having them as overhead (in general), the items or innovations they work on become the property of the company, and is easier to protect from an Intellectual Property situation (as a project didn t pay for the time/effort.) One the other hand, some firms want to pay for their Design Technologists with billable time. Whether they are partial all the way up to 100%, this way ensures their connection and value to the project. Challenges include the time to Research and Develop new processes when production is valued in a billable-time effort, ownership of Intellectual Property (paid for by project time), and professional development. What are your thoughts on the subject? Where do these people sit in your organization? What connotation are you implying in their location? 7

8 Career Path Many times, a person gets into the Design Technologist career path by necessity. Either by frustration as a process or a procedure does not work the way the person wants it to work, by trying to fix something on their own out of necessity, by curiosity of new process and procedures the list goes on. A historical challenge is once a person gets into this path, where do they go? How do they continue forward in a positive manner? How does one do year-end reviews if that person is at the top of their career job family? Do they lateral? (which is probably how the person got into the position in the first place.) What are your thoughts on the subject? How do you continue to keep these staffers on a positive direction? 8

9 Ultimate Question? The tools get more powerful, the practitioners get more capable, and the tools SHOULD get more elegant in their need for administration. One definition of a Knight is that the Knight travails under the idea that that he/she is striving for a world where they are no longer needed. Should we not strive for the idea that dedicated design technologists are not needed, and that the solutions will be sophisticated yet elegant to not need advanced specialists outside of the current design team structure? What are your thoughts on the subject? Should we accept we as the Industry will always need dedicated staff, or can we fold these capabilities back into our project structure? 9

10 Appendix A Survey Results, November 2013, AU2013 Conference Appendix B Survey Results, May 2013, non-autodesk AEC Software Conference 10

11 Appendix A Survey Results November Autodesk University 2013 This survey was conducted between September 1 st and November 1 st,

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14 Additional responses: Consultant, BIM Manager Construction Technology, Management Consultant, Civil Design Engineer, BIM Coordination + BIM implementation advice, Design Technology Section Manager: Revit Team 14

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20 Additional Comment: a blend of Strategy/Development/Support 20

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23 Appendix B Survey Results May non-autodesk AEC Software Conference This survey was conducted between March 1 st and May 10,

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