Innovation comes from continuous learning. You learn something new and apply it regularly.
Many people are self-taught. They learn what they need, and they don’t usually go much further with learning other features. They end up using only a portion of the software’s capabilities. Most software can accomplish way more than you expect, want or even think you need.
We’ve all heard the saying, “We’ve always done it that way.” There may be a good reason for your legacy workflows, and the reason you’ve kept them is because legacy workflows work. But there aren’t very many legacy workflows that can’t be improved upon. And if you do take the time to refine those legacy practices – for instance making them quicker and more consistent – that effort may come back to reward you at crunch time, when you really need to be quick and consistent.
Whether they are company standards or not, most employees develop their own “best practices” for the way they handle a workflow. But it’s most helpful if a company has a single best practice for a workflow – the standard. The ideal is not having multiple ways of handling a task.
This is where software tools can come to the rescue.
Contrary to the popular beliefs of some seasoned workers, software cannot replace the intellectual knowledge or the instincts of an experienced worker. However, software can help that worker take back their evenings and weekends when they have to put in overtime to accomplish something. In addition, software can help you avoid mistakes. There are many examples of ways software tools can help you reduce the time required on a task from weeks to days.
One of those tools is Bluebeam Revu.
There are many features, for instance “sheet sets,” in Revu that eliminate repetition in a worker’s day. The measurement tools are very useful, especially Dynamic Fill for area calculations. Document Compare and Overlay are designed to quickly and easily show you what changed on drawings from version to version. Particularly with work-from-home situations, Studio Projects and Studio Sessions are helpful in continuing to move a project forward. They enable team members to work and collaborate in the cloud, where, for instance, multiple people can do plan reviews simultaneously.
Software tools can usually be combined to achieve a certain goal. They can also help with bringing people onboard a project. By streamlining workflows, they enable you to teach an employee about the industry portion of their job and leave the workflow to the software.
As part of that industry onboarding process, it’s important to get the people with real-world skills to talk with the people who have the software skills. Too many times they tend to talk past each other. Communicating each person’s unique skills represents part of that continuous learning we all need to do throughout our careers. The innovation that can result from that will help us improve our jobs and give us a deeper appreciation for the part each team member plays in the overall project.
Bridging the Gap Podcast, episode 73 with guest Troy DeGroot “Combining Craftsmanship and Technology”
I had an opportunity to talk about innovation, legacy workflows and Bluebeam Revu software with Troy DeGroot in episode 73 of the Bridging the Gap podcast. Check it out today.
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