The office I am starting work in soon simply does not have all the programs, let alone the versions' of those programs, that I feel are necessary for my work flow. So I was wondering, would it be possible to install programs such as Autocad and Photoshop on an external SSD or HDD and run them through an office computer?
archietechie
Feb 11, 18 10:56 am
If even those programs are unavailable, I'm afraid you've been taken for a ride.
That or bring your own laptop.
jcarch
Feb 11, 18 11:55 am
On the one hand, what kind of office doesn't even have AutoCAD or Photoshop?
On the other hand, you need to work within their workflow. If you show up and just start doing things your way, you'll likely be shown the door pretty quickly.
If their workflow sucks, quickly master it, then once you have their trust, begin showing them how things could be improved.
I've seen both sides of this. I've had employees just do it their way - usually not understanding some aspect of why we do things the way we do, leading to lots of work needing to be re-done and to me being very unhappy with them. And I've had employees sit me down and show me a better way to do something, and we've changed our workflow to use their suggestion, and I've appreciated their helping us become more productive.
Keep in mind that some good ideas may not be feasible - we've had discussions of switching to BIM, but the up front costs, and lost revenue from the prolonged drop in productivity while we got up to speed are too costly.
Good luck with the new gig!
Naraya
Feb 11, 18 11:56 am
Why not be proactive and install them on the office computers?
archietechie
Feb 11, 18 11:59 am
Is he going to pay for the license too?
thatsthat
Feb 11, 18 2:41 pm
Something else to consider is if anyone else will ever need to access these files. If you produce something in AutoCAD that looks great, but needs some tweaking, you can't easily pass it off to a younger staff architect to pick up the redlines if no one has the program except you.
If their workflow sucks, quickly master it, then once you have their trust, begin showing them how things could be improved.
Totally agree with this. My colleague and I have been slowly changing the workflow of our office over the past 3 years by creating project templates, a consistent filing system, incorporating BIM/tablet integration, and a regular in-office lunch and learn program to fill in the gaps in people's skill levels. We also use these lunch and learns to introduce changes and create opportunities for people to ask questions. There is absolutely no way we could've done this had we started trying to change things or do things our way since day 1. It helps to have at least a year of observation of how and why things are done a certain way before deciding if/when they should be changed.
The office I am starting work in soon simply does not have all the programs, let alone the versions' of those programs, that I feel are necessary for my work flow. So I was wondering, would it be possible to install programs such as Autocad and Photoshop on an external SSD or HDD and run them through an office computer?
If even those programs are unavailable, I'm afraid you've been taken for a ride.
That or bring your own laptop.
On the one hand, what kind of office doesn't even have AutoCAD or Photoshop?
On the other hand, you need to work within their workflow. If you show up and just start doing things your way, you'll likely be shown the door pretty quickly.
If their workflow sucks, quickly master it, then once you have their trust, begin showing them how things could be improved.
I've seen both sides of this. I've had employees just do it their way - usually not understanding some aspect of why we do things the way we do, leading to lots of work needing to be re-done and to me being very unhappy with them. And I've had employees sit me down and show me a better way to do something, and we've changed our workflow to use their suggestion, and I've appreciated their helping us become more productive.
Keep in mind that some good ideas may not be feasible - we've had discussions of switching to BIM, but the up front costs, and lost revenue from the prolonged drop in productivity while we got up to speed are too costly.
Good luck with the new gig!
Why not be proactive and install them on the office computers?
Is he going to pay for the license too?
Something else to consider is if anyone else will ever need to access these files. If you produce something in AutoCAD that looks great, but needs some tweaking, you can't easily pass it off to a younger staff architect to pick up the redlines if no one has the program except you.
If their workflow sucks, quickly master it, then once you have their trust, begin showing them how things could be improved.
Totally agree with this. My colleague and I have been slowly changing the workflow of our office over the past 3 years by creating project templates, a consistent filing system, incorporating BIM/tablet integration, and a regular in-office lunch and learn program to fill in the gaps in people's skill levels. We also use these lunch and learns to introduce changes and create opportunities for people to ask questions. There is absolutely no way we could've done this had we started trying to change things or do things our way since day 1. It helps to have at least a year of observation of how and why things are done a certain way before deciding if/when they should be changed.