Custom On-Demand Training to Standardize User Knowledge of AutoCAD and Civil 3D

McAdams Company is a civil engineering firm located in Durham, NC. As part of their ongoing efforts to provide outstanding projects to their clients, they performed a “health check” regarding their users’ aptitude and comfort with Civil 3D and AutoCAD. During the assessment, they discovered many topics that their users wanted further instruction on, and they also had users at different levels of knowledge. The internal training program portal they had been using was not meeting their needs for flexibility and the creation of custom content. They had also tried one-on-one training before, but they found that without a reinforcement mechanism, it often needed to be repeated multiple times, which was costly.

The McAdams Company team wanted to develop an internal training program that would allow them the flexibility to create Autodesk Civil 3D and AutoCAD training and add their own content for internal processes, standards, and philosophies. By creating custom, targeted and repeatable instruction, they would increase and standardize their users’ software knowledge and in turn, improve project efficiency.

The CADD consultant began by meeting with the customer to establish a desired topics list, including topics that were specifically requested and some that were recommended by the consultant. The customer provided the consultant with sample project files as well as their existing standards files so the users would learn specifically about McAdams Company’s systems and standards.

Based on these discussions, the CADD consultant created 18 AutoCAD learning modules and 65 Civil 3D learning modules. Each module included a video walking through the associated topic step by step, a document outlining what was accomplished in the video, and accompanying exercise files that allow the user to practice. Providing three different formats of learning for each topic ensured that every user could learn in the way they do best. The modules were organized to build on each previous learning topic for new hires and still be easy for tenured employees to find specific content when they need to revisit certain topics.

With the comprehensive learning library of AutoCAD and Civil 3D, the McAdams Company team now has the resources to ensure their users have consistent aptitude with the software. All new hires will be able to learn how to complete tasks within the company’s standards and workflows and provide a smooth onboarding that is also cost-effective. In addition, any tenured employees will be able to refresh on specific topics as needed.

The customer was very pleased with the outcome of the on-demand training content. They were able to provide feedback from their leadership and users throughout the creation process, to ensure they were exactly what the users needed. They are now in a good position to add additional content as needed in the future.