cad conversion project -technology roadmap

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CAD Conversion Project Technology Roadmap

Shahrouz Raeisi, London, 20th Nov. 2010 [email protected]

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Technology roadmap is a mechanism for identification, justification, planned evolution and

orchestration of technologies to enhance business performance (Mckeen and Smith 2009).

It has been my intention to keep it as brief as possible and will be glad to expand it or add some

explanation if required.

Technology roadmap has seven main elements which bases on CAD conversion project requirement can

be specified as follow:

1. Guiding principlesA. Outline the goals

a. What is planned to be achieved?b. Is it only about converting some existing models from some specific CAD packages to

PDMS, or it needs to cover the other way around as well.

c. Are we planning to prepare a technology to be able to cover future needs and packageswith some additional customization?

d. Does it come from adding value to core competences in terms of business strategy or itcomes as a one off troubleshooting task?

B. Budgeta. How much budget do we have?b. Are we allowed to spend 10 - 15% of budget for R&D for future expansion of the project

as a generally accepted practise?

C. Scope of projecta. Packages needed to be covered in terms of diversity and vendors.b. Do we suppose to cover only CAD packages or CAE packages must be covered as well?

D. Project expectations (Accuracy)a. Do we need to cover only main members or full detail needed?

For example does project require just converting main structural profiles or it needs to

convert all the connection details and details? Or it only requires transferring pipes or

needed to cover pipe supports, hangers and etc.

b. Do we need to prepare a Real Time Conversion Interface (which will have a lot ofadvantages but obviously is more complicated) or conversions needed to be done

manually by project teams?


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E. What are the standards needed to be considered and their restrictions?F. What is the level of supports needed to be provided to local offices in terms of training,

desktop and remote supports, instruction and procedures?

G. Specify the level of residence skillsHow many in-house administrators and developer exist and what are their capabilities?

H. How often this project needed to be re-evaluated?How much are we committed to implement the feedbacks from local offices?

I. Time frameAre we able to justify the time schedule or it is fixed?

2. Current technologyA. Which one of targeted CAD packages can be covered or supported by existing AVEVA or

third parties applications and by how many percent? Can these existing packages satisfy

project expectations or needed to be enhanced or developed?

B. For each and every package we need to specify:Vendor, business process area, level of supports from vendor, capabilities to accommodate

projects needs, capabilities to be developed internally, ease of use and critical or

noncritical (can be replaced or not?), life cycle and other advantages and disadvantages(Mckeen and Smith 2009).

C. Assigning technology custodian/owner to each packageD. Establish WISE (Watch, Invest, Support and Eliminate) chart to each package by

custodian/Owner.

E. Specify packages that are inflexibleF. Specify elements that do not meet strategic directionG. Components those are expensive to maintain

3. Gap analysis to evaluate and clarify:A. Required technology base on Guiding PrinciplesB. Do we need to follow companys business strategy or we need to be ahead of it to give

initiatives ideas to CIO for company performance enhancement.

C. What are the applications that can be or needed to be acquired from third parties developers?D. What are the macros needed to be developed in-house?


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4. Technology landscapeE. Specify the level of R&D freedomF. Do we need to stick to AVEVA PDMS or we can consider any other possibilities such as

Autodesk MEP or any other plant management systems from other vendors to be deployed in

future.

G. Wider look at industry vendors development plans needed to be taken into consideration. Forexamples if AVEVA is planning or developing anything new to cover any of our CAD

packages then we need to emphasise more on the other needs.

5. Future technologyBase on project scope, expectation, gap analysis and technology landscape, we should:

A. Specify the path forward to choose future technology and applications.B. Specify the reasoning behind our selection to allow obtaining constructive feedback by

inviting stakeholders to challenge the logic instead of challenging the decision.

C. Finding the sweet spot between too tactical roadmap and too strategic one.

6. Migration strategy to specify:A.

Deploying new technology roadmap will effect on all LOBs (Line of businesses) anddepartments in terms of obeying new modelling procedures and standards.

B. Does the conversion needed to be done on whole projects at once (Big Bang) and LOBs or itcan be done step by step and gradually?

7. GovernanceA. Specify Strategic (corporate level) and Tactical level (project level) authorities.B. Procedures and guidance to be prepared by tactical level and their enforcement by strategic

level authorities.

C. Re-evaluation plans needed to be put in place to update and enhance the roadmap and itstimeframe.

Reference:

Mackeen J. and Smith H. (2009), IT Strategy in Action, New Jersy, Prentice Hall.

cad conversion project -technology roadmap

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