So when I heard about Transamerica's combined use of AutoCAD and the BUG System and their reports of measured productivity gains, it got my attention right away. Typically, Transamerica prices services to its customers by the mile of cable involved in the layout design. Therefore, the company's ability to remain competitive is directly related to its bottom line design speed, accuracy, quality, and overall responsiveness. Transamerica has been using AutoCAD for one year, and even before implementing voice input technology was measuring productivity through the use of a daily report showing how many miles of cable each CAD operator completed daily. That methodology is still successful today.
Operators know their daily CAD productivity in miles per hour.
First, the base map is drawn, including roads and other geographical information. During the design phase, specific communications components are put into place, colors serving as visual aids in identifying functions of the various network elements. Since individuals keep track of their own daily productivity through each phase of each project, it's easy to spot areas of difficulty and correct them immediately before they become serious enough to impact delivery of the product. And as projects are completed, miles per hour and miles per day statistics are refined and used as a basis for estimates on future work. Thus, Transamerica's ability to accurately estimate cost, scope, and scheduling for each project continually improves.