Project Management Tip #1

Ever get frustrated on a project?

If you said “No”, I will choose to take that as sarcasm.

When working on a project, I almost always say at some point ‘I wish’. I wish this Revit Family existed (for those of us less skilled than Matt). I wish this software would do this. I wish this was faster, less repetitive (for those of us less programming-brained than Zach), or more automated. The list goes on. “I wish” may be the polite way of saying what you are actually thinking, but it still is a desire for improvement.

When was the last time you researched that issue?

I have discovered technology and software that has grown to viable status on things that drove me crazy simply by checking every time the issue came up on a new project. Revit Pure even did a blog about their Top 5 Free Revit Add-ins.

As a user, a manager, a project worker, have this one rule:
Research Pain Points every project!

I have had clients that have had issues for years that prevent full Revit adoption or have had an issue that causes them the most amount of human errors on that phase of the project. While I may know some things, I’m not omniscient. Some quick research and often times I can find a solution, because everyone feels that pain point and someone somewhere probably did something about it.

Simply put: do not become complacent. Part of Managing Technology is staying on top of new tech! Join a group like The Society for Construction Solutions. It wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t needed.

On a final note: have you tried putting it up on Autodesk Ideas?

Many people may find it to be a black hole, but it is more like a large ship and slow to turn. That being said, I’d rather the solution come eventually than not at all. A FormIt Idea I posted did get implemented (see picture below). I’m sure it was already on their roadmap, but posting the idea meant that when it was implemented, I was notified.