Ensuring a Smooth Software Transition with Customized Training
The Challenge
AK Design Group is a hospitality interior design and FF&E procurement firm specialized in serving Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG franchise owners. With the LT versions of AutoCAD and Revit as their primary design tools, AKDG wanted to explore capabilities of the full versions and how they would incorporate into their current workflows. Since they already had established practices and standards, the team needed a way to customize the training to the way they worked.
“We wanted to know how the software could help us more and how to make the transition easy while also continuing our workflow in our design deadlines,” said Sarah Garcia, NCIDQ, Senior Project Designer at AKDG. Sarah oversees projects from start to finish, including presentations, client relationships, coordination, and development of AKDG’s standards.
- Project Goals
- Maintain company standards: Ensure that the transition to full versions of AutoCAD and Revit aligns with AKDG’s existing design processes and standards.
- Understand software differences: Gain a clear understanding of the key features and benefits of the full versions compared to the LT versions.
- Transition seamlessly: Implement a smooth transition to the full versions without disrupting ongoing projects or affecting productivity.
Solutions
The AKDG team initially got on a call with ATG to discuss the differences between the programs and how the full versions could be incorporated into their current projects. “The meeting helped me put the idea in front of the owners of the company. I had this whole presentation on how we could be more efficient with these softwares,” said Sarah.
After the kick-off call, the ATG team got to work on building customized training for AKDG based on the team’s skill level, skipping the fundamentals and getting straight to the management side of the software. Jeff Kuhn, AIA, Architectural Consulting Manager at ATG, led the training program, which encompassed elements from Revit Fundamentals, BIM Management, and Conceptual Design and Visualization. The four-week training course was not only tailored to AKDG’s learning needs, but also their business needs, ensuring they could still work on ongoing projects and meet deadlines.
Business Outcomes
Even though there was a plan for the training each day, Jeff adjusted the training as he got to know how the AKDG team worked. After the training, the AKDG team began the transition to full versions of Revit and AutoCAD.
“It was very helpful especially afterwards when we started getting our projects into Revit. Jeff really helped the transition go smoothly and made sure it didn’t interfere with our design schedule.”
Beyond training, ATG has also helped establish a project template for AKDG, providing a checklist to kick-off the process. “ATG gave me the foundation of what a project template needs to help us be more efficient, and it’s still evolving,” said Sarah.
Conclusion
With ATG’s expertise and support, AKDG has been able to establish a strong foundation for their projects, often revisiting the recorded training or consulting with the ATG team on any questions they may have.
ATG is an all-in-one package. They have the experience and knowledge to help find solutions, and if they don’t have the answer, they research and help guide you in the right direction. Even after providing what you need, they keep you updated with blogs and emails with any updates or training. It’s always helpful to know that you have that support.
Learning new software? Let ATG help set a strong foundation 💪
Reach out to AK Design Group