Best Method to CAD manage ACAD disciplines

If you were to chose, who is better for controlling ACAD and CAD Standards in Marine Construction?

1. No CAD Management and No Cad Standard; each discipline meets their needs only.
2. One CAD Manager per discipline (Marine, Electrical, Navarc); each CAD Manager interfacing with each other.
3. One CAD Manager over Autodesk products providing support and guidance to each discipline.
4. Engineering or IT should control CAD Management and development per a defined CAD Standard.

If I missed one, feel free to add to this thread.

I believe CAD Management is the most important aspect of successful Autodesk product use in a company.

This is a tough question for me as I have seen many companies implement different strategies successfully. I wonder if the number of users as well as the type of culture and overall skill level of the team plays a role.

Which one do you think is best Tommy?

Denis,
I believe CAD Management should be handled by a select team of 3 or less. That number of course depends on the size of the company. There should be one overseer or lead. Each one having specific roles but anyone could stand-in for the other without the process failing. CAD Management is a full time job and requires knowledge of both sides of the fence, Engineering and IT.
CAD Standards are of the utmost importance and should be followed completely. Theydrive each discipline model and drawing development and should be flexiable enough to meet all contract requirements. A company not using CAD Management, CAD Standards, and re-enforcing with training the disciplines are asking for lost wasted time and cost. If it is not maintained users tend to do as they feel. The internal and external customer usually is not very happy with the results.
As for what group should control the CAD environment, that IMHO is Engineering not IT. IT should support Engineering’s needs by providing the software installs and access rights but Engineering should be drive the drivers seat. It is the Engineers that know what it takes to do the job.
Lastly, a affective Cad managed system is one that utilizes the expertise in each discipline to divide and conquer the task. This is accomplished by using Lead Cad Designers as mentors. During the course of all this is a productive training and reward scenario that engages the user to excel.
I find that it usually is not the supervision in Eingeering that should drive CAD needs. Generally, the supervision do not know much of the Cad tool or have the time to get envolved. So it is the interface bwteen the user, the mentors, and the CAD Manager that make the tool work correctly. Thus back to my original thought, if a company wants to excel with their CAD tool they must have a well rounded CAD Management team that knows the tool completely. Who can develop the tool to meet each disciplines needs per the CAD Standard and contract requirements. Who can write lisp and basic code saving time and cost eliminating keystrokes.

I can't speak for marine construction.
But for a general "team design" environment, (similar to an A/E/C environment) I think you have the right idea.
IT needs to support the hardware/software needs of the design disciplines.
There should be an overall "cad manager" overseeing the company's general cad standards and managing the cad designers.
And then a "lead cad" per department/discipline that regulates the particular standards per discipline, while working within the overall company standards.
(because the cad manager may or may not be well versed in certain disciplines)

This is just a sketch of what I think the hierarchy should be.

Being a CAD Manager in any industry would follow the same pattern as you and I describe. Without them it becomes a free for all. I think that the major difference of CAD Managers from company to company is their actual role and level of interface with management. Some have total control and freedom to do as needed to make the CAD process work while others may have to ask permission to do anything due to bugeting and conflict with charging to a contract. In some cases in a combination of these roles. I mean, management for the most part does not get involved with CAD, let alone the management of it.

Thanks for sharing.

Tommy

FWIW - There's a recent article on this vary topic entitled: The Hidden Impact of NOT Having a CAD Manager